 |
Thursday, March 20, 05:30 PM MYT +0800 Malaysia Airlines MH370 Flight Incident - MH370 Press Briefing by Hishammuddin Hussein, Minister of Defence and Acting Minister of Transport
1. Australian satellite images
At 10:00 this morning, the Prime Minister received a call from the Prime Minister of Australia, informing him that ‘two possible objects related to the search’ for MH370 had been identified in the Southern Indian Ocean. The Australian authorities in Kuala Lumpur have also briefed me on the situation, and the Australian Foreign Minister has spoken to the Foreign Minister of Malaysia.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) continues co-ordinating the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft within Australia’s search and rescue area, with assistance from the Australian Defence Force, the New Zealand Air Force, and the US Navy.
AMSA’s Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCC) Australia has received satellite imagery of objects possibly related to the search for MH370.
RCC Australia received an expert assessment of commercial satellite imagery today. The images were captured by satellite. They may not be related to the aircraft.
The assessment of these images was provided by the Australian Geospatial Intelligence Organisation as a possible indication of debris southwest of Perth.
As a result of this information, four aircraft have been re-orientated to an area 2,500 kilometres southwest of Perth.
A Royal Australian Air Force P-3 Orion aircraft arrived in the area at about 10:50AM.
Another 3 aircraft have been tasked by RCC Australia to the area, including a second RAAF Orion, a Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion, and a US Navy P-8 Poseidon.
The Poseidon was expected to arrive early this afternoon. The second RAAF Orion was expected to depart RAAF Base Pearce, Perth, mid-afternoon. The New Zealand Orion was due to depart this afternoon.
An RAAF C-130 Hercules aircraft has been tasked by RCC Australia to drop datum marker buoys to assist in drift modelling. They will provide an on-going reference point if the task of relocating the objects becomes protracted.
A merchant ship that responded to a shipping broadcast issued by RCC Australia on Monday was also expected to arrive in the area this afternoon.
The Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Success is en route to the area but is some days away. The ship is well equipped to recover any objects located and proven to be from MH370.
Every effort is being made to locate the objects seen in the satellite imagery. It must be stressed that these sightings, while credible, are still to be confirmed.
2. Assets deployed
The search for MH370 is a multinational effort. I will now give you an update on the assets which have been deployed.
During the course of this operation, the Chief of the Defence Force has spoken to his counterparts from countries including:
• Australia
• China
• India
• Indonesia
• Japan
• Maldives
• Nepal
• New Zealand
• Singapore
• Thailand
• Vietnam
• The UK
• And the USA.
All were very supportive, and all offered their assistance. As the focus of the search has moved from the South China Sea and Straits of Malacca to the northern and southern corridors, our international partners have continued to provide whatever support they can.
A number of assets have been deployed at different phases of the search and rescue operation.
Currently, there are 18 ships, 29 aircraft and 6 ship-borne helicopters deployed along the northern and southern corridors, as follows:
Aircraft
In the northern corridor, there are 4 aircraft:
• 2 from Malaysia
• 1 from Japan
• And 1 from the US.
In the southern corridor, there are 25 aircraft:
• 2 from Malaysia
• 5 from Australia
• 3 from China
• 4 from Indonesia
• 2 from India
• 4 from Japan
• 1 from New Zealand
• 2 from South Korea
• 1 from the UAE
• And 1 from the USA.
Ships
All 18 ships are in the southern corridor:
• 6 from Malaysia
• 1 from Australia
• 5 from China
• And 6 from Indonesia.
This deployment includes 6 helicopters:
• 3 from Malaysia, and 3 from China.
Until we are certain that we have located MH370, search and rescue operations will continue in both corridors. I can confirm that Malaysia is sending 2 aircraft to Kazakhstan, and the UK is planning to send 1 ship to the southern corridor.
In addition to the assets I just listed above, a number of countries in the northern corridor are carrying out search and rescue operations within their own territory:
• China is using every means possible, including 21 satellites, to search the area within its borders, and is ready to send more ships and aircraft wherever they are needed.
• In Cambodia, 4 helicopters are conducting search operations within Cambodian territory.
• The Laos Air Force is carrying out search operations within Laos.
• Singapore are using their International Information Fusion Centre, where a Malaysian representative is stationed, to notify mariners and help with the search.
• The Thai military are conducting search operations in the northern part of Thailand with all available aircraft.
• And Vietnam are conducting search operations within their territory using an unspecified number of aircraft.
Together this represents a significant international force deployment. I am thankful for the co-operation of our partners as we continue to focus on finding MH370.
3. Family care
The high-level team I announced yesterday is leaving for Beijing this evening.
I would also like to confirm that representatives from the Malaysian government spoke to the families who were present here yesterday.
In addition, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to China, and the Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia, will lead a briefing today for the Chinese families who are here in Kuala Lumpur.
Also in attendance will be the Department of Civil Aviation, the Armed Forces, the Royal Malaysia Police, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and MAS. A similar briefing will also be held for the other families.
4. Concluding remarks
For families around the world, the one piece of information they want most is the information we just don’t have: the location of MH370.
Our primary focus has always been to find the aircraft. And with every passing day, our efforts have intensified.
Yesterday I said that we wanted to reduce the area of the search. We now have a credible lead. There remains much work to be done to deploy the assets. This work will continue overnight.
Wednesday, March 19, 05:30 PM MYT +0800 Malaysia Airlines MH370 Flight Incident - MH370 Press Briefing by Hishammuddin Hussein, Minister of Defence and Acting Minister of Transport
国防部兼交通部代部长拿督斯里希山慕丁针对MH370失联的新闻发布会
2014 年3月19日
下午5点30分
下午5点30分
Introductory statement
汇报
The search for MH370 continues. As I stated at yesterday’s press conference, this is now a truly international effort.
马航370的搜救行动还在进行中。正如我昨天在新闻发布会所说，这已进展成一个国际的救援行动。
Our focus remains the search and rescue operation. We are working on narrowing the search corridor by:
我们的主要关注仍然是搜索和救援行动。我们将以下列几项行动来缩小搜索走廊的范围：
· gathering satellite information
· analysing radar data
· increasing air and surface assets, and
· increasing the number of technical experts.
· 收集人造卫星的资料
· 分析雷达数据
· 增加空中和海陆面的搜索资源
· 增加技术专家
We are also taking further steps to address the needs of the families at this difficult time.
在这艰难的时刻，我们也采取了额外步骤来应对乘客家属的需求。
1. Operational update
1.搜救行动的最新进展
I will start by giving a brief operational update.
我先讲解救援行动的最新进展。
As we have said, the search for MH370 involves diplomatic, technical and logistical challenges.
正如我们所言，马航370班机的搜查行动涉及了外交，技术及后勤方面的挑战。
Accordingly, the main technical team organising the search and rescue operation has been broken into three groups: a diplomatic team, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; an assets deployment and logistics team led by the Armed Forces; and a technical group retaining overall operational control, which is led by the Department of Civil Aviation.
因此，主要策划搜救行动的技术团队已被分成三个组别：外交团队，由外交部领导; 资产部署和后勤单位，由军方领导，以及一个整体运营控制的技术小组，由民航局领导。
On the diplomatic front, all 26 countries involved in the search and rescue operation have verbally agreed to assist the operations, and Malaysia has written to all countries formally requesting co-operation.
在外交方面，参与搜救行动的26个国家已口头同意协助此项救援行动，故此，马来西亚已正式致函要求与所有相关国家正式的合作。
A number of assets which have already been committed are awaiting diplomatic clearance to begin operations. Once we receive formal clearance, we can then speed up the deployment of assets along the search corridors.
我们已经部署了一些资源，但要等到外交许可后才能开始运营。一旦我们收到正式的许可，我们就可以尽快地沿着搜索走廊部署各项资源。
As I stated yesterday, although the search is still co-ordinated by Malaysia, our partners are increasingly taking the lead in their own territory and in agreed search sectors. We welcome this, and again would like to thank all our partners for their continued assistance and support.
正如我昨天所说，虽然搜索行动的协调工作仍然是由马来西亚主导，但我们的国际合作伙伴也在它们各自的领土上，根据协定的地点领导着搜索行动。我们对此表示欢迎，并再次感激我们所有国际合作伙伴的援助与支持。
I can confirm that we have received some radar data, but we are not at liberty to release information from other countries. I appeal to all our partners to continue volunteering any and all information that could help with the investigation and the search for MH370.
我可以证实，我们已经收到了一些雷达数据，但是我们不能随意泄露从其他国家得到的资讯。我呼吁我们所有的国际合作伙伴，继续提供任何可以协助调查和寻找MH370的资讯。
Regarding reports that the plane was sighted in the Maldives, I can confirm that the Malaysian Chief of the Defence Force has contacted his counterpart in the Maldives, who has confirmed that these reports are not true.
针对有关飞机在马尔代夫被发现的报道，我可以证实，马来西亚国防部队的统帅已联络马尔代夫的同僚，他们已确认这些报道是不正确的。
2. Waypoints
2. 航点
I am aware of speculation that additional waypoints were added to the aircraft’s flight routing. I can confirm that the aircraft flew on normal routing up until the waypoint IGARI. There is no additional waypoint on MH370’s documented flight plan, which depicts normal routing all the way to Beijing.
我了解有方猜测说有关该飞机在飞行路径上增加了额外航点。我可以证实，这架飞机是按正常航线，一直到IGARI航点。在MH370的飞行策划记录上没有额外的航点，该计划显示该飞机是在正常的航线上一路到北京。
3. Police investigation
3.警方的调查
On the police investigation, as the Inspector General of the Police confirmed, the case has been classified under Section 130C of the Penal Code. All passengers, crew and ground staff handling the aircraft are being investigated.
在警方的调查方面，总警长卡立已证实，此案件将援引刑事法第130C 条文调查。警方正在调查所有马航失联客机的乘客，机组人员和处理该飞机的地勤人员。
We are sharing all information relevant to the case with all relevant international investigative agencies that require it. We have received passenger background checks from all countries apart from Ukraine and Russia, both of which had nationals on board. So far, no information of significance on any passengers has been found.
我们将根据需要，与有关的国际调查机构分享所有有关的信息。除了乌克兰和俄罗斯（该航班有这两个国籍的乘客），我们已收到全部其他国籍乘客的背景资料。到目前为止，没有任何的乘客资料有特别之处。
Local and international expertise has been recruited to examine the pilot’s flight simulator. Some data had been deleted from the simulator and forensic work to retrieve this data is on-going.
我们已聘请本地和国际的专家来检验机长的飞行模拟器。一些数据已从模拟器中被删除。专家们还在努力的恢复模拟器中之前的数据。
I would like to take this opportunity to state that the passengers, the pilots and the crew remain innocent until proven otherwise. For the sake of their families, I ask that we refrain from any unnecessary speculation that might make an already difficult time even harder.
我希望借此机会表示，乘客，飞行员和机组人员仍是无辜的，直到被证明并非如此。为了他们的家人着想，我恳请大家不要进行不必要的揣测，因为这将使原本已困难的情况更加煎熬。
4. High level team
4. 高层团队
I would like to announce that in addition to the team that is already on the ground, Malaysia is currently assembling a high-level team that will immediately travel to Beijing. The team will give briefings and updates to the next of kin on the latest situation, and on search and rescue plans.
我宣布，除了已经在原本的救援团队，马来西亚目前正在筹组一个将立即前往北京的高层团队。该小组将给中国乘客家属更新最新情况，以及任何有关搜救行动的计划。
The team will include representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Royal Malaysian Air Force, the Department of Civil Aviation, and Malaysia Airlines.
该小组将由来自首相办公室，外交部，大马皇家空军，民航局以及马来西亚航空公司的代表组成。
The team will be led by Lieutenant General Dato’ Sri Ackbal bin Haji Abdul Samad RMAF (Air Operation Commander, Royal Malaysia Air Force), assisted by Ahmad Nizar bin Zolfakar (Director, Air Traffic Services, Department of Civil Aviation) and will include a senior 777 pilot.
该小组将由马来西亚皇家空军，空中行动指挥官Dato’ Sri Ackbal bin Haji Abdul Samad 中将带领，和民航局空中交通服务总监Ahmad Nizar bin Zolfakar协助，其他队伍人员包括波音777的资深飞行员。
5. Concluding remarks
5. 总结
We will persevere. Our immediate focus is the search and rescue operation. We are pursuing every means possible to narrow the two search corridors.
我们会坚持下去。现今， 我们最主要的任务仍然是搜救行动。我们不会放过每一个能够缩小两个搜索走廊的可能性。
