Malaysia asks for more help in jet search

Possible position of MH370

Malaysia has appealed for more international help in tracking the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, following revelations that its communications systems were deliberately disabled, and that it was airborne for much longer than previously thought.  [Special coverage]

The search, involving resources from 25 countries, is now focused on two corridors, one extending from Indonesia over the southern Indian Ocean, and another to the north, from the northern Thai border into Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

The new search corridors are based on raw satellite data from sources such as UK satellite company Inmarsat, which received pings from the plane for a number of hours, but cannot say with certainty in which direction the plane headed. After the plane left Malaysian Airspace to the west of the peninsula, it followed precise flight paths between known way points, Malaysian authorities said Saturday.

"Such a large area brings challenges to the search. Even though most countries are holding positive attitudes, they may be reluctant to provide radar and satellite information, which normally involves national military secrets," said Li Wei, an anti-terrorist expert from the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysia's acting transport minister, said that Malaysia was hoping for more satellite data from nations such as France, China and the US.

Huang Jun, a professor with the School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering at Beihang University, said that he sees a greater possibility in the plane flying towards the southern Indian Ocean as it's hard not to be detected by radar across the northern corridor.

The countries that newly joined the search include those adjacent to China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

"So far there is no sign indicating that the incident is involved with East Turkestan Islamic Movement," Li said.

Terrorists are usually keen to make their demands known, so it seems more like a criminal hijacking.

Hussein told a press conference Sunday that Malaysia, which is coordinating the hunt, had briefed representatives from at least 22 countries and requested help in the search for the Boeing 777-200ER with 239 on board.

Suspicion has again fallen on the captain and co-pilot, following revelations by the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak that the two communication systems were switched off at different times, which only a trained pilot would know how.

One of the two communication systems was switched off before the last verbal communication of "All right, good night," as it passed from Malaysian airspace at 1:22 am on March 8.

The home of the captain, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, has been searched, including a personal flight simulator that he built. Malaysian police have also looked into any ground crew or other people who had contact with the plane before it took off, as well as passengers.

The two pilots did not ask to fly together.

Media speculation that Shah is a radical supporter of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been roundly denied by Malaysian authorities.

A Malaysia Airlines pilot, who would not give his name, told the Global Times on Sunday that he has known Shah and co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid for years and does not believe either could have hijacked the plane.

He confirmed that authorities have beefed up scrutiny on both the passengers and crew following the incident.

One passenger was a 35-year-old Chinese Uyghur man with flight simulation training, Harian Metro, a Malay language newspaper in Kuala Lumpur, reported on Thursday.

An Al Qaeda supergrass told a court last week that four to five Malaysian men, one of whom was a pilot, had been planning to take control of a plane, noting that the plot was being masterminded by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the principal architect of 9/11, The Telegraph alleged Saturday.

Envoys from nations along the suspected new flight paths, including China, India, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, attended a briefing focused on communications for the technical aspects for the renewed search operation.

However, according to the envoys who attended the meeting on Sunday, only limited headway seems to have been made for a specific plan for each nation's responsibility.

India announced Sunday evening that it has suspended its search operation while it awaits new information from Malaysian authorities, AP reported.