Mystery of missing Malaysian plane

Millions of people around the world are now puzzled over mysterious disappearance of a Malaysian Boeing plane 370 carrying 239 passengers from high altitude on March 8. As of now, there is no trace of the ill-fated plane despite international hunt in the South China Sea, the Malacca Straits to the Andamans and Nicobar Islands and the Indian Ocean. Malaysia, China, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam and the US are searching the seas and air. Of the passengers, half were Chinese and Taiwanese and the rest belonged to 13 nationalities, including America.

As of now, there has been wild guessing from different directions. Since majority passengers were from China, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing sent a group of experts on civil aviation to assist the Malaysian government to find out accurate information on the flight. Meanwhile, many families and well-wishers of the missing passengers have expressed anger against the Malaysian government for their inept handling of the investigation. Now Malaysian Prime Minister Nazib Razzak thinks that hijacking of the plane could not be ruled out. From this writer's personal experience working in the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, it was found that the Malaysians are basically lazy.

They lack knowledge on scientific nature of things. Malays are less ingenious compared to Chinese-origin Malaysians. The Malaysian authorities did not involve the international aviation community at the earliest about ill-fated plane.

There have been many wild guesses surrounding the missing plane. One of these is that two Iranian passengers were travelling in the flight with stolen passports. Therefore, hijacking of the plane could not be ruled out. Secondly, investigators thought someone had deliberately diverted the plane. Thirdly, this might have become an act of piracy. Latest information is that pilot and co-pilot did not ask for flying together and their houses are under police investigation. Investigation has now focused on those in the cockpit of the plane. The Defence Minister of Malaysia said that there was no cover-up in the investigation while putting aside national security of the country.

Satellite images on a Chinese government website, which showed suspected debris from the missing plane floating off the southern tip of Vietnam, appeared to be incorrect.

Investigators suggest someone deliberately diverted the plane when it had made sharp changes in altitude. The Malaysian authorities of late believe they have several pings from the airplane's service data system known as ACARS transmitted to satellite in four to five hours after the last transponder signal that suggested the plane flew to the Indian Ocean. At the request of the Malaysian authority, USS navy destroyer Kidd is now on its way to the Indian Ocean to search the missing plane. Commodore of Navy destroyer William Marks reportedly commented that they were now going from a chess board to a football field. In fact, the Indian Ocean is the third largest in the world and most places there are much deeper than other areas. Latest information from Malaysia and knowledge of fuel range lead US officials to believe the plane may have made a nosedive to the Ocean. It is likely that the plane is now at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. Twenty-five countries have joined the search for missing plane with 43 ships and 58 planes around the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca, the Andamans and Nicobar Islands and the Indian Ocean. Apart from the Malaysian government's alleged incompetent handling of the missing plane, the US government is also under attack because of its failure as a hi-tech country to resolve the puzzle till writing of this article. The missing plane has become a great mystery in the history of civil aviation.

The writer is a retired diplomat

of Bangladesh

 amjad.21@gmail.com