Transport minister Anthony Loke looking at some of the items on display at the the 5th Annual MH370 Remembrance day,aming others are debris and photos of belingings of passengers of the ill fated flight, Sunday, March 3, 2019. RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star.
KUALA LUMPUR: The government is waiting for a fresh proposal from US exploration firm Ocean Infinity or any other interested party before resuming the search for ill-fated flight MH370, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
"If there is a proposal and credible leads, then we are prepared to look at it. It's not as if we are sitting here and doing nothing," Loke told reporters at the fifth annual remembrance event for MH370 held at Publika Shopping Gallery here on Sunday (Mar 3).
Loke said his the ministry was more than willing to enter fresh discussions with Ocean Infinity, which embarked on a "no find no fee" basis last year, but was ultimately unsuccessful.
"As the Ocean Infinity CEO mentioned, there might be some new technology over the past 12 months and we are willing to look at it.
"If they can convince us that the new technology can be more efficient for the search, then we are more than willing to restart it.
"And if there is a 'no find, no fee' proposal, then we are prepared to look at it," he said.
Loke added that the government cannot set funds aside for the search if there is no proposal.
He also dismissed allegations by family members of passengers and crew members on board MH370 that the final report published by the government in July last year withheld key information about the missing plane.
"Whatever information we have was shared in the final report. There is no such withholding of information. The report was published in full.
"As far as the report is concerned, it is final. Now we are focusing on resuming the search," he said.
Flight MH370 became one of the world's biggest aviation mysteries when it disappeared on Mar 8, 2014, on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.
Investigators deduced that the aircraft had veered thousands of kilometres off-course from its route before plunging into the Indian Ocean.
Numerous pieces of aircraft parts have been found, but only three wing fragments have been confirmed to be from MH370.
A search led by Australia in the Indian Ocean had failed to locate the missing plane, causing it to be suspended in January 2017.
US exploration firm Ocean Infinity resumed the search last year but was unsuccessful.
