It was necessary to declare MH370 an 'accident' - Liow

Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai was Malaysia’s Transport Minister when the disappearance of MH370 unfolded before us. Over the last one year, he has been the face of the search and rescue operations spearheaded by the government often addressing press conferences and speaking to agitated relatives of those on board the aircraft.

In an exclusive chat with Astro AWANI, he speaks about the massive hunt for the plane that involved 26 countries and why it was necessary to declare MH370 an ‘accident’.

AA: After a year, how do you define the efforts that have taken place, up until a point when we eventually find the aircraft?

Tiong Lai: In remembering the first anniversary since the MH370 tragedy, I feel sad and always pray for the MH370 next-of-kin (NOK) so they can remain strong when facing these difficulties. I am sure Malaysians and the international community felt a sense of loss and we are always together as they face this difficult time. The Malaysian government is determined to continue with this search mission.

Since this tragedy, we have launched a massive search in which 26 countries, 166 assets including 81 aircraft and 85 ships have been deployed. I also want to mention here that an international search team, including Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) and Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia are all working together in this search mission and we’ve done our best to make sure we are searching at the right place based on the data gathered by Inmarsat . An area of 60,000 square kilometres has been targeted and up until now, we are able to complete 26,000 square km, or 44 percent of the designated search area.

AA: How do you see the process of engagement in terms of the family's welfare in the coming period?

TL: We know we are giving priority to family members. And we have set up a NOK committee. We have formed a centre aimed at providing communication and support to the families in Beijing. We also have launched websites where they can receive the latest information about MH370. What we can do for the future -- I think that's important – is that we have announced that MH370 is an accident. This will help the family members to move forward and help solve several matters such as insurance etc. Their welfare has been taken care of by the government and we have ordered MAS to accelerate the compensation payment.

Q: What are the biggest challenges faced by the government in dealing with family members?

A: I am facing a big challenge because the family members come to me to get answers. When family members come to me for answers, I am still looking for the answers. And that is why the objective of this search mission, is to get answers. To allow me to give you the best possible answer, I need the strength to perform a search mission. We are with the family members. We understand the feelings, the pain and sadness that they are facing right now and how we can assist them in facing the future.

Q: A lot can be learned from this tragedy such as proposing 'real time tracking' for flights. How can Malaysia convince the international parties in the industry to implement this?

A: Malaysia has brought this proposal to the international stage at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) meeting in Montreal. We proposed for the 'real time tracking' system to be installed in all commercial flights and this proposal was well received. I have met with the Minister of Transport United States, Australia and China, as well as the ICAO President and stressed that this system should be installed as soon as possible. This is because these incidents can happen to any aircraft. This also proves that there is room for improvement in the level of safety in the aviation industry. A committee overlooking this system has been established by the ICAO and they have accepted our proposal. An announcement will be made August 31 in this matter.

Q: Do you think the search mission will be successful?

A: The collaboration between countries in this search mission is astounding. We have gotten great support from Australia and China. Each country is giving is assets and financial assistance to ensure that this mission is carried out successfully. Secondly, cooperation from other international countries has made us focus on increasing the safety level in the aviation industry. I think ICAO was also shocked by this tragedy and they have admitted that there is more room for improvement in terms of safety. Every day there are eight million people who fly. Therefore this is an important industry for maintaining the safety of our passengers and our crew and not let any safety issues affect them.

Q: What aspects of the search mission are we looking at as we move on?

A: I want to thank the staff who helped us in the search mission in the Indian Ocean. They worked hard continuing the search mission for more than six, seven months now. We hope that this mission can continue and we hope we can find MH370. And cooperation from international countries is crucial because Malaysia alone cannot find this missing plane. We are confident that in the future we will continue our commitment and we hope and believe that we can find MH370.