Nothing found so far is linked to MH370, say authorities

None of the objects found so far in the sea off Perth or Australia have been linked to MH370 and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will fly to Perth this Wednesday for the search and rescue operations .

The acting transport minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein (pic, centre) said Prime Minister Najib wants to visit the Pearce Air Force base to thank the multinational personnel involved in the operation.

"Najib spoke with his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott this morning and received a full briefing on the ongoing operations in the Indian Ocean."


The search for MH370 has been focused on the southern part of the Indian Ocean since last week.

Eleven ships and 10 military aircraft were deployed to the search area today, Hishammuddin said, adding that Malaysian ship, the KD Lekiu, is expected to arrive at the location, west of Perth, on April 3.

He also confirmed that the five objects retrieved by Australian HMAS Success and China's Haixun were not related to MH370.

"On Sunday, an Australian P3 Orion made visual sightings of seven potential objects. A Korean P3 Orion also made visuals of three potential objects.

"The Chinese ship, the Haixun, was tasked to retrieve these potential objects," he added.

Meanwhile, Hishammuddin also reiterated that Malaysia will not give up searching for the missing aircraft, which is believed to have crashed into the Indian Ocean, with all 239 people on board.

"This is a promise that Malaysia intends to keep. We will continue searching, and we will keep investigating, and we will never give up until we find out what happened to MH370."

Hishammuddin, who is also defence minister, said he will be leaving tonight for the US Pacific Command in Hawaii to attend the Asean Defence Ministers’ meeting, where he will share the latest developments regarding the search for MH370.

"I will also use this opportunity to discuss the possibility of deploying more specific military assets, in the event that we need to embark on a more complex phase of the operation."

Source: The Malaysian insider, March 31, 2014.