Two small objects found in the Maldives brought home - Liow

Efforts are underway to verify two small objects found last Friday in the Maldives on whether they are debris from the vanished Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH370 aircraft.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said for this purpose, an investigation team brought the two objects yesterday to Malaysia.

"The objects have been brought back and the investigation team will determine soon if they are debris of the MH370 plane," he told a media conference after attending the Selangor Wanita MCA 40th annual assembly at Wisma MCA here today.

He said the mission to locate MH370 involving Malaysia, Australia and China would continue at the seabed of the Indian Ocean, adding that among the key items sought were the black box and the plane wreckage.

The Boeing 777 aircraft carrying 239 passengers and crew disappeared enroute from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, last year.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Aug 6, announced that international experts had confirmed a flaperon found on France's territory, Reunion Island earlier was from MH370.

It supported earlier conclusions that the MAS jet crashed into the Indian Ocean.

Liow said a meeting of three parties involving Malaysia, China and Australia to review the search area for the missing aircraft would be held early next month.

For the time being, he said the ministry was still waiting for results of an analysis conducted by a team of experts, including the Australian Transport Security Bureau (ATSB), the agency heading the search for MH370 in the Indian Ocean.

Meanwhile, the MCA president said the party welcomed the establishment of a national consultative committee on political funding as announced by Najib recently.

He hoped it would help focus on political parties to improve the administration and transparency of managing political funding.

"MCA has long practised this concept," he said.