The US lawyer and amateur MH370 investigator, Blaine Gibson, who has found most of the debris from the doomed flight has called on the Malaysian Government to hand over the full investigation into its disappearance to Australia.
In Perth, Western Australia, to meet with MH370 victims’ relatives and officials from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Mr Gibson said that Malaysia had not picked up six pieces of debris that he had found in Madagascar over three months ago and thus is in breach of its international obligations.
Malaysia even rejected a request from the Madagascar government to help fund a search of its beaches for wreckage, claims Mr Gibson.
In all Mr Gibson has found 10 pieces of debris from MH370 many of which have been confirmed as from the doomed Boeing 777.
Mr Gibson was full of praise for Australia’s contribution and the role of the ATSB in leading the search for the missing Boeing 777 which disappeared on March 14, 2014 with 239 people on board on a flight between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.
“Australia has done way more than its fair share [in funding the search] and is to be congratulated for that. But Malaysia can do more and China can do more.”
The search has cost about A$180 million with Australia contributing A$60 million, Malaysia A$100 million and China, which had 159 citizens on board A$20 million.
MH370 was a code-share flight with China Southern Airlines.
“Malaysia should hand the investigation over to Australia and all the countries with passengers on board should contribute to the continuation of the search.”
Malaysia, under international law, is the lead in the MH370 investigtaion but it can hand the investigtaion over to another country as it did with MH17 which it gave to the Dutch.
Mr Gibson also brought to Australia with him several new pieces of wreckage that he has found.
“The sea is slowly revealing its secrets,” said Mr Gibson. “I have found four pieces of the interior which proves that the plane shattered on impact and did not sink intact to the bottom as some claim.”
And Mr Gibson says the search must continue.
“The Malaysian, Chinese and Australian governments have said that the search will continue if they find new credible evidence.”
“What I – and others – have found is that new credible evidence. More than 20 pieces have washed ashore and they help to define and refine the search area.”
“A plane in the 21st century just can’t disappear.”
And to help find more pieces of debris Mr Gibson said that he has a host of friends across the south-west Indian ocean who are combing beaches. “They are very interested in finding answers for the families and they will be finding more debris.”
