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| Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak at Saturday's news conference. |
15th March 2014, 2:18PM
By the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
* We have conducted search operations over land and sea, in
the South China Sea, Straits of Melaka, The Andaman Sea and the Indian Ocean.
At every stage we acted on verified information and followed every credible
lead, which sometimes led us nowhere.
* There has been intense speculation. We understand the
desperate need for information. On behalf of the families and those watching
around the world, we have a responsibility to the investigation and the
families to only release information that has been confirmed and corroborated.
* The search was done near MH370’s last known position at
the South China Sea. At the same time it was brought to our attention by RMAF
that based on their primary radar the aircraft (unidentified) made a turn back
and flew north to Straits of Melaka.
* Data was corroborated with relevant authorities, we
expanded area of search to include Straits of Melaka and later to the Andaman
Sea
* Earlier this morning, PM was briefed by FAA, NTSB, AAIB,
the Malaysian authorities and the acting Minister of Transport on new
information that shed further light on what happened to MH370.
* Based on new satellite communications, we can say with
high degree of certainty that the aircraft communications system was disabled
just before the aircraft reached the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Shortly
afterwards near the border between Malaysia and the Vietnamese air traffic
control, the aircraft’s transponder was switched off. From this point onwards,
the RMAF primary data showed that an aircraft which was believed (but not
confirmed) to be MH370 did a turn back and went northwest of Malaysia. This
movement was consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane.
* Based on raw satellite data which was obtained from the
satellite data’s service provider, we can confirm that the aircraft shown in
the primary radar data was MH370.
* After much forensic work and deliberation - the FAA, NTSB,
AAIB and the Malaysian authorities who had been working separately on the same
data concur: according to the new data, the last confirmed communications
between plane and satellite was at 8.11am local time on Saturday 8 March. The
investigation team is making further calculation which will indicate how far
aircraft may have flown after last point of contact to help us to refine
search.
* We are unable to confirm the precise location of the plane
when it last made contact with the satellite. However, based on new data, the
aviation authorities of Malaysia and their intentional counterparts have
determined that the last communications with the satellite was in one of two
possible corridors: Northern Corridor: approximately at the border of
Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan to Northern Thailand. Or Southern corridor stretching
approximately from Indonesia to the Southern Indian Ocean.
* In lieu of the latest development, Malaysia refocused
their investigation to crew and passengers on board. Despite media reports that
the plane was hijacked, I wish to be very clear, that investigation is still
ongoing to determine why it deviated from its original flight path.
* The new information has significantly impacted the nature
and scope of SAR. We are ending our operations at the South China Sea and
reassessing the deployment of our assets. As the two new corridors involved
many countries, the relevant embassies have been invited to the briefing on the
info by technical experts.
* MAS has been informing the families on this new
development. The search for MH370 has entered a new phase over the last 7 days
and we are looking into every possibility.
* For the families and friends of those involved, we hope
this new info brings us one step closer to finding the plane
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