Turnbull offers Malaysia help in new search for MH370

Malcolm Turnbull says Australia stands ready to do ‘everything it can’ to resume the search for missing flight MH370.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Picture: Kym Smith

Malcolm Turnbull has discussed with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak the circumstances in which the hunt for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 could be ­resumed, and said Australia stands ready to do “everything it can” to see it happen.

The move comes as the Aust­ralian Transport Safety Bureau is preparing to release a report on its unsuccessful search for the aircraft, which may also present new ­evidence for its claim that it is “highly likely” the Boeing 777 lies in a proposed new search zone to the north.

The Prime Minister’s revelation that he has repeatedly raised the issue with his Malaysian counterpart also follows renewed activism among relatives of the Australian, Chinese and other victims­ who disappeared with the plane when it went down more than three years ago.

Mr Turnbull saidhe had ­made representations in the interest of the families of the six Australians on board, with his spokesman saying “the Prime Minister raises this issue with his Malaysian counterpart every time they speak”.

“Malaysia is the lead nation in the investigation into the dis­appearance of MH370, but Australia stands ready to assist in any way it can,” the spokesman said.

“At present, the search for MH370 has been suspended, but if any credible evidence emerges, the Australian government will do everything it can in partnership with Malaysia to ensure the search is resumed.”

A government source said Mr Turnbull was not pressuring the Malaysian government to restart the search, describing it more as a means of “keeping MH370 as a frontline issue”.

On March 8, 2014, with 239 passengers and crew, MH370 ­doubled back on a scheduled route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing 40 minutes into the flight, with its radar transponder turned off and radio contact terminated.

Satellite tracking data showed that it ended up somewhere along a band in the southern Indian Ocean.

About the same time the ATSB’s underwater search of a 120,000sq km zone ended in Jan­uary, it held a conference of international experts, which identified a new potential search area of 25,000sq km.

The three governments involved in the subsea search which cost $200 million — Malaysia, China and Australia — have taken the joint position that no new search will be undertaken without new evidence indicating the specific location of the plane.

But it is thought that Malaysia is the least enthusiastic to resume the hunt, while ATSB officials are known to be keen to do so and ­believe they have a strong case.

The ATSB recently said a new “drift modelling” study by the CSIRO charting the discovery of debris from the plane found on and off the coast of Africa further supported the evidence that the aircraft lies in the proposed new target zone.

Most of the passengers on MH370 were Chinese nationals. Yesterday the association repres­enting their families issued a statement saying a letter of appeal signed by 1000 members had been sent to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reading, in part: “Concerning the parties respons­ible for the unknown fate of MH370, Malaysian government, Malaysia Airlines, aircraft manufacturer Boeing, the parties must honour and fulfil the promise of finding the plane, passengers and crew, without interruption, ceasing or abandonment.”