Press Statement YB Dato’ Seri Hishammudin Tun Hussein Minister of Defence AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Kuala Lumpur, 28 December 2014 AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore lost contact with air traffic control earlier this morning, 28 December 2014. Reiterating the statement made by the Malaysian Prime Minister YAB Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Malaysia stands ready to assist Indonesia in the search and rescue mission for the missing aircraft. The Malaysian Ministry of Defence and the Malaysian Armed Forces are ready to provide any assistance required by Indonesia. I have instructed the Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy, Laksamana Tan Sri Abdul Aziz bin Haji Jaafar, and the Chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Jeneral Dato Sri Roslan bin Saad to remain in close contact with their Indonesian counterparts for any further developments. I have also spoken to the Indonesian Defence Minister, HE Ryamizard Ryacudu, in which I noted that in the spirit of ASEAN solidarity, we are ready to be of service if needed by the Indonesian Government. Firstly, The Royal Malaysian Air Force will deploy a C130 Aircraft to assist Indonesia with the search and rescue efforts for QZ8501. Secondly, 3 Royal Malaysian Navy ships, the KD Pahang, KD Lekir and KD Lekiu, with a Fennec Helicopter onboard, will sail tonight to join the search efforts. The Ministry of Defence and the Malaysian Armed Forces primary objective at present remains to focus on the flood relief efforts along the Malaysian East Coast. Separately, I have also spoken to the Singaporean Defence Minister, HE Dr Ng Eng Hen regarding this matter to reaffirm our commitment in the search and rescue efforts. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the passengers, crew members and families of all on board QZ8501. - end -
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 11:08:01 +0000
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