Current Event #5

Malaysian Officials Open Criminal Inquiry Into Missing Jet

Article:  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-flight.html?hp

Location A: Kuala Lumpur

Location B: Beijing

9M-MRO, the plane that is missing.

Last Saturday (March 8, 2014), a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 heading from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, China mysteriously disappeared, never making it to its destination. Initially, there were no answers, only theories about what happened to this plane. There are reports that the engines continued to run for hours after the disappearance – this came from the engine manufacturer who receives automatic updates from their engines through satellite transmission. Most authorities now believe that this plane was deliberately taken by hijacking. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had originally tried to calm to the public and tell them that the government was doing everything it could to find the missing plane. Many people, along with searchers along the coast of Malaysia, multiple satellites, and searchers from other countries, have been looking for signs of the missing plane. According to the satellite information, the plane apparently changed course shortly after it left Kuala Lumpur. Searchers have found no debris or other sign of the plane in any of their target areas.

Mr. Razak now believes this course change to be a result of the actions of some individuals: “These movements are consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane”. Thepublic and reporters have speculated on two Iranian passengers who weretraveling using stolen passports. Both of these paid for their flight using cash instead of credit cards and both purchased tickets less than 24 hours before the flight. If this was a hijacking situation, there have been no ‘demands’ or claims of ‘credit’ for the hijacking that have been made public.

          The author used the quotations from Mr. Razak to show the official opinion of what happened to the flight and possibly to prepare the public for more bad news about this flight. The search area for this flight has also changed – originally, it was the route the plane should have taken and now it is a larger circle with the plane’s last location at the center.

Bradsher, Keith, and Chris Buckley. "Malaysia Officials Open Criminal Inquiry Into Missing Jet." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-flight.html?hp>.

Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. 2010. HD Wallpapers. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. <http://www.hdwallpapers.in/kuala_lumpur_malaysia-wallpapers.html>.

Beijing: The Forbidden City. 2006. Travel-earth. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. <http://www.travel-earth.com/china/>.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. 2003. Plane Spotters. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. <http://www.planespotters.net/Production_List/Boeing/777/28420,9M-MRO-Malaysia-Airlines.php>.

"Two Iranian Men Identified as Stolen Passport Holders on Missing Malaysia Airlines Flight."South China Morning Post. N.p., 11 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. <http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1446086/iranian-teen-identified-stolen-passport-holder-malaysia-airlines-flight>.