KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 ― The government today decided to send a delegation to Canberra, Australia next week to discuss the next phase of the search for the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the delegation led by Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, would also be looking at the issue of cost sharing between Australia and Malaysia.

“It is important to note that the Cabinet appreciates and is thankful for Australia's contribution thus far in the search efforts for MH370,” he said at a press conference at his office, here.

Hishammuddin said the Malaysian delegation would include Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin, who is also the chairman of the next of kin committee and Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri who is also chairman of the assets deployment committee for MH370.

“The delegation will be attending a tripartite meeting between Malaysia, Australia and China, and also will sign a Memorandum of Understanding between Malaysia and Australia that has been approved by both governments,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hishammuddin said the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) vessel KD Mutiara which was on its way to join the MH370 search efforts in Australia had encountered an engine problem.

“KD Mutiara is currently on its way to Jakarta, Indonesia to evaluate the extent of the damage and to undergo repairs, we will follow closely the developments of work undertaken,” he said.

Hishammuddin said the RMN vessel Bunga Mas 6 which had been actively present for the past four months in the search area ever since the surface search was carried out was currently on it’s way back to Malaysia after completing its task.

He said, the government was always committed in the search of MH370 although the whole country was focussing on the MH17 crash tragedy.

“While our nation is still coping with the grief and shock of the recent MH17 tragedy, we can assure you that the passengers and families of MH370 have not left our hearts,” he said.

The Boeing 777 aircraft, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, is believed to have ended up in the southern Indian Ocean, west of Perth, Australia, following an unprecedented type of analysis of satellite data by United Kingdom experts.         

The search for MH370 is ongoing but no trace of the aircraft has been found yet. ― Bernama