No sign of suspected MH370
debris
Malaysian authorities
said yesterday that satellite images of suspected debris from a
missing jet were yet another false lead.
It also debunked a report that the plane had flown
on for hours after losing contact - leaving the nearly week-old
mystery no closer to being solved.
Chinese authorities had sparked talk of a
breakthrough in the riddle of the Malaysia Airlines jet. It
released satellite images of three large floating objects near
where flight MH370 lost contact on Saturday, AFP reported.
But Vietnamese and Malaysian planes that searched
the area in the South China Sea yesterday found no sign of
wreckage.
Adding to confusion, The Wall Street Journal
reported that US investigators suspected the plane flew for four
hours after its last known contact with air traffic control at
1:30am. It would mean the plane travelled for hundreds of miles
after it dropped off the radar, greatly expanding the potential
crash site.
Bomohs who conduct rituals will be
arrested
RITUAL:
Bomoh Ibrahim Mat Zin (centre) performed a ritual to help
find the missing MH370 flight at the KLIA on Wednesday.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The Selangor Islamic Religious Department said it will
arrest those who carry out rituals that contravene the teachings of
Islam should they refuse to leave the Kuala Lumpur International
Airport (KLIA).
Sepang district enforcement chief of the department Zaifullah
Jaafar Shidek said the monitoring was done due to several
individuals performing rituals, "praying" for the safe return of
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370, which went missing on
Saturday.
The search for the plane is still on.
Mr Zaifullah told The Star yesterday: "Anything
that is against syariah principles and fatwa will be asked to
disperse, and if they refuse, we will arrest them."
He added that seven officers from the department
were sent to monitor the airport.
"This is to avoid people from becoming syirik
(deviant)," the enforcement chief was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim demanded
the government disclose who gave permission for a bomoh to conduct
rituals inside the international airport.
'WHO GAVE PERMISSION?'
"This is KLIA. Who gave permission? Is it MAS, is it Department
of Civil Aviation?" he asked in parliament yesterday, liberal news
portal Malaysiakini reported.
He said the presence of the bomoh had made Malaysia
a laughing stock among the international community.
He went on to call the bomoh "Bomoh 1Malaysia",
referring to the 1Malaysia pin the bomoh was wearing.
"He even had a 1Malaysia tag on him. This is bomoh
1Malaysia," he said, to the laughter of the House.
In a press conference at the Parliament lobby later
on, Mr Anwar said the use of the bomoh was an affront to Islam and
he urged Islamic authorities to investigate the matter swiftly.
He did not mince his words in claiming that
Malaysia has never embarrassed itself to this extent in the
international stage in its history.
He said: "Our biggest problem is in handling a
crisis. There should be a central command."
News, The New Paper, Friday, March 14 2014, Pg 14
