PUTRAJAYA, April 13 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke today said the Malaysian government has no objections to Australia releasing its own reports on the 1976 “Double Six” plane crash that killed then Sabah chief minister Tun Fuad Stephens and several members of the state Cabinet.
Loke said that the federal government has already communicated its views to the Australian government “way back” through the latter’s High Commision here.
“The Australian side is prepared to release the report from their end, but of course the Australian side respects our government because this accident happened in Malaysia and they have asked for our opinion and our approval to release the report.
“As far as we are concerned we have no objection, so it's up to the Australian government when to release the report,” he told a news conference here.
Yesterday, the three living children of Fuad Stephens issued a statement saying there were still many questions unanswered about the crash, and urged the Australian government to release its own reports on the tragedy.
One of the mysteries they said, was the motive for the Malaysian report to be classified under the Internal Security Act (ISA) – repealed in 2012 – and not released immediately after investigations concluded.
Loke said that he couldn't answer for a decision made by the government some 47 years ago.
“I was not even born yet. I was born in 1977, the accident happened in 1976.
“What we are doing now is to just ensure that what has not been told all this while, we told the truth, we opened up the facts for the benefit of the public and the victims’ families.
“I think in the past, all these reports were classified as secret, this is probably a standard procedure in the past.
“And of course probably for reasons that I do not know, and I can’t answer on behalf of the then government or the then Cabinet,” he said.
Malaysia’s final investigation report on the plane crash, classified since its completion on June 6, 1976, was released to the public yesterday and is accessible on the Transport Ministry’s website here.
