SERI KEMBANGAN, Aug 3 — Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai asked for the public to stop speculating as authorities will begin analysis on the recently found plane debris on Réunion Island on Wednesday.
He added that despite the wing part that washed ashore last week being from a Boeing 777, there must be certainty beyond a reasonable doubt before confirming that it came from the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370.
“Let’s wait for the verification process. It is wrong to relay any information that is beyond reasonable doubt,” after officiating the opening of SJK (C) Bukit Serdang here this morning.
“Don’t speculate yet because the debris found earlier was confirmed to be a flaperon from a Boeing 777 but whether it’s from MH370 is not confirmed.”
He said the Malaysian government had sent two teams, one to France to aid and observe with the analysis, and another to Réunion Island to comb the beaches for more debris.
The team on Réunion Island, he said, had found more aircraft-linked debris, including aluminium frames and “broken pieces of materials from planes”.
“As of today, we have found some debris but it is yet to be confirmed if it is from MH370,” he said.
However, Liow did not clarify what information was needed to confirm the debris’ link to MH370.
Questions have been raised over whether it came from MH370 that went missing March 8, last year following the discovery of a wing piece of a plane on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean last week.
The flotsam was confirmed to be a flaperon, or a wing piece from a Boeing 777, the same aircraft model as MH370.
Despite MH370 being the only Boeing 777 to be lost in the Indian Ocean, authorities have not confirmed the debris’ link to the missing aircraft.
“This is the verification process,” Liow said.
“The flaperon only arrived in France on Saturday. There is a legal process to put the protocols in place,” he added.
