MH370: Govt will consider resuming search if there is new evidence — PM

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday that the government will consider resuming the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 if new information emerge.

He said the search for MH370 had to stop as there was no evidence found following the search programme all over the world.

“We have done a very big search programme. We have not found any evidence yet. So, we have to come to a stage where we cannot keep on searching for something we really cannot find.

“If anybody has any information, we will consider resuming the search but at the moment, we have to put a stop to the search.

“We regret very much. We understand the feelings of the families and relatives but we cannot keep on searching for MH370 forever, ” he told a press conference after chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting here yesterday.

Flight MH370 with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board vanished while on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

In January this year, Malaysia signed an agreement with Ocean Infinity, the United States-based technology company specialising in collecting high resolution seabed data to begin a new search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

The priority search area in the southern Indian Ocean was based on ‘no cure, no fee,’ which meant that payment would only be made when debris of the missing jetliner were found and confirmed by a third party.

Yesterday, Ocean Infinity confirmed that its search for the wreckage of MH370 had come to an end.

On Pulau Batu Putih (called Pedra Branca by Singapore) , Dr Mahathir said Malaysia would reconsider challenging the judgment of the International Court of Justice on it.

The judgment awarded sovereignty of the islet to Singapore following both countries raising claims to it to the ICJ.

Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir said the government was thinking of expanding Middle Rocks and developing it into a small island.

“They ( ICJ) awarded Middle Rock to us. We have already built a structure there. It is our intention to enlargeit so that we can form a small island for us... We have not made any decision yet,” he said. — Bernama