http://www.gosur.com/en/point/4998630/
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Weak democracy hurts Myanmar business
The Letpadaung copper mine project, jointly
established by China and Myanmar, has become the target of growing
protests. The Myanmar government arrested some protesters on Tuesday,
but this has not stopped the action. The leader of Myanmar's National
League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, said that she will visit the
area. She also insists that Myanmar should stick to its agreement with
Chinese companies.
It will be a lose-lose situation for China and Myanmar if the project is halted. Only third parties, including some Western forces, will be glad to see this result.
Protesters first asked for more compensation, but now want to stop this project and are demanding that the Chinese company leave. There are definitely some Westerners and NGOs instigating these protesters. More importantly, however, Myanmar's political climate has changed and the government cannot control public opinion.
Similarly, some big projects have been halted due to public protests in Shifang, Qidong, and Ningbo in China. Companies cannot get their initial investment back. However, in Myanmar, people have much less ability to identify information than Chinese people.
Chinese companies' investments in Myanmar are facing huge challenges. They need support from the country. China is able to exert some influence. We must not give up on the project. Even if it is eventually stopped, Chinese companies should receive compensation according to the contract and international practice.
Regardless of the result, China need not lose confidence in its peripheral diplomacy due to the failure of its investments in Myanmar. What we see in the country is the inevitable impact of its democratization.
Some Chinese people are gloating over the plight that Chinese companies are facing in Myanmar and claim that it is retribution for China cooperating with a "dictatorship." This argument is a result of their ignorance of the real situation in Myanmar. Of course, Chinese companies should focus more on the people of the countries they invest in. It is the objective requirement of the wave of democratization that has swept over poor countries.
The Letpadaung copper mine crisis has drawn Chinese people's attention to Myanmar. Democracy has brought hope there, but it has also blocked a major construction project instead of liberating productive forces.
This kind of democracy can neither bring high growth for the Myanmar economy nor result in tangible benefits for the people. Western countries' lifting of sanctions cannot bring wealth. The prosperity of Myanmar ultimately depends on its people's efforts.
China's per capita GDP is about one-eighth of the US's. China is to the US what Myanmar is to China. China has great comprehensive national strength. However, per capita wealth is the most useful standard for people's actual lives.
Democracy promises to give everyone in the world equal rights, but this is only an illusion. Development is the last word, as Deng Xiaoping asserted more than 20 years ago. It is a value that applies to everyone in the world.
It will be a lose-lose situation for China and Myanmar if the project is halted. Only third parties, including some Western forces, will be glad to see this result.
Protesters first asked for more compensation, but now want to stop this project and are demanding that the Chinese company leave. There are definitely some Westerners and NGOs instigating these protesters. More importantly, however, Myanmar's political climate has changed and the government cannot control public opinion.
Similarly, some big projects have been halted due to public protests in Shifang, Qidong, and Ningbo in China. Companies cannot get their initial investment back. However, in Myanmar, people have much less ability to identify information than Chinese people.
Chinese companies' investments in Myanmar are facing huge challenges. They need support from the country. China is able to exert some influence. We must not give up on the project. Even if it is eventually stopped, Chinese companies should receive compensation according to the contract and international practice.
Regardless of the result, China need not lose confidence in its peripheral diplomacy due to the failure of its investments in Myanmar. What we see in the country is the inevitable impact of its democratization.
Some Chinese people are gloating over the plight that Chinese companies are facing in Myanmar and claim that it is retribution for China cooperating with a "dictatorship." This argument is a result of their ignorance of the real situation in Myanmar. Of course, Chinese companies should focus more on the people of the countries they invest in. It is the objective requirement of the wave of democratization that has swept over poor countries.
The Letpadaung copper mine crisis has drawn Chinese people's attention to Myanmar. Democracy has brought hope there, but it has also blocked a major construction project instead of liberating productive forces.
This kind of democracy can neither bring high growth for the Myanmar economy nor result in tangible benefits for the people. Western countries' lifting of sanctions cannot bring wealth. The prosperity of Myanmar ultimately depends on its people's efforts.
China's per capita GDP is about one-eighth of the US's. China is to the US what Myanmar is to China. China has great comprehensive national strength. However, per capita wealth is the most useful standard for people's actual lives.
Democracy promises to give everyone in the world equal rights, but this is only an illusion. Development is the last word, as Deng Xiaoping asserted more than 20 years ago. It is a value that applies to everyone in the world.
Posted in: Editorial
Global Time.
China’s Take on Anti-Copper Mine Protests in Burma!
 |
| Letpadoung Copper Mine Ground Breaking Ceremony. |
It will be
a lose-lose situation for China and Myanmar if the project is halted. Only
third parties, including some Western forces, will be glad to see this result.
Protesters first asked for more compensation, but now want to stop this project and are demanding that the Chinese company leave. There are definitely some Westerners and NGOs instigating these protesters. More importantly, however, Myanmar's political climate has changed and the government cannot control public opinion.
Protesters first asked for more compensation, but now want to stop this project and are demanding that the Chinese company leave. There are definitely some Westerners and NGOs instigating these protesters. More importantly, however, Myanmar's political climate has changed and the government cannot control public opinion.
(The whispers in Rangoon are that the American INGO “Save the Children” is very active in the Monywa Copper Mines area just recently.)
Chinese
companies' investments in Myanmar are facing huge challenges. They need support
from the country. China is able to exert some influence. We must not give up on
the project. Even if it is eventually stopped, Chinese companies should receive
compensation according to the contract and international practice.
Regardless
of the result, China need not lose confidence in its peripheral diplomacy due
to the failure of its investments in Myanmar. What we see in the country is the
inevitable impact of its democratization.
Some
Chinese people are gloating over the plight that Chinese companies are facing
in Myanmar and claim that it is retribution for China cooperating with a
"dictatorship." This argument is a result of their ignorance of the
real situation in Myanmar. Of course, Chinese companies should focus more on
the people of the countries they invest in. It is the objective requirement of
the wave of democratization that has swept over poor countries.
The Letpadaung
copper mine crisis has drawn Chinese people's attention to Myanmar. Democracy
has brought hope there, but it has also blocked a major construction project
instead of liberating productive forces.
This kind of democracy can neither bring high growth for the Myanmar economy nor result in tangible benefits for the people. Western countries' lifting of sanctions cannot bring wealth. The prosperity of Myanmar ultimately depends on its people's efforts.
China's per
capita GDP is about one-eighth of the US's. China is to the US what Myanmar is
to China. China has great comprehensive national strength. However, per capita
wealth is the most useful standard for people's actual lives.
Democracy
promises to give everyone in the world equal rights, but this is only an
illusion. Development is the last word, as Deng Xiaoping asserted more
than 20 years ago. It is a value that applies to everyone in the world.
------December 4 Updates (AP Photos of protests at Rangoon Chinese Embassy) -----
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
At least seven bodies found as rough weather hits QZ8501 search
SURABAYA, Indonesia: Seven bodies have been recovered
from the Java Sea as a multi-nation recovery effort resumes it fits and
starts because of rough weather on Wednesday (Dec 31) following the
discovery overnight of wreckage from AirAsia Flight QZ8501 that went
missing at the weekend.
Four bodies were recovered Wednesday morning, taking the figure to seven in two days, but rough weather has hampered the search in the sea and delayed the ability of air and water craft to bring the victims to Surabaya where relatives are waiting along with hospital staff and debris to a processing centre onshore at Pangkalan Bun in Kalimantan, according to Bambang Soelistyo, the head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, and other personnel.
"We are experiencing bad weather now. Rains and winds prevented us from resuming the search operation this morning," air force rescue coordinator SB Supriyadi told AFP.
Personnel from Singapore's navy have arrived at the scene and were given a more defined search area to work with - about 600 nautical miles from Singapore, according to Channel NewsAsia's Lam Shushan.
In Surabaya, ambulances are on hand and Bhayankara Hospital says it is "100 per cent ready" to receive the bodies of the victims.
SEARCH FOR PLANE WRECKAGE
The flight from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore went missing Sunday and took nearly three days to discover debris from the passenger jet and a related aerial sighting of the suspected aircraft on the sea floor, which AirAsia confirmed as the downed aircraft.
Mr Soelistyo said earlier that an air force plane Tuesday spotted a "shadow" on the seabed believed to be the missing AirAsia jet. "God blessed us today," Mr Soelistyo told a Tuesday press conference.
The aircraft is believed to be in an area of the sea where depths range from 25m to 30m, though it the fuselage may be broken in parts and debris scattered over a wide area, marine salvage experts say.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Indonesia's search-and-rescue agency has obtained a sonar image that it says may be the body of the missing AirAsia jet on the floor of the Java Sea - reportedly showing an airplane upside down on the ocean floor in 24m to 30m of water. The image was obtained Tuesday by an Indonesian Navy ship that is part of the search-and-recovery effort, the agency said in a release early Wednesday morning.
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes travelled to Surabaya on Tuesday and pledged to "do whatever we can do" to help grieving relatives and friends, adding that his heart was "broken".
"The passengers were on my aircraft and I have to take responsibility for that," he said, adding that he was focusing on supporting the families. "It's an experience I never dreamt of happening and it's probably and it's probably an airline CEO's worst nightmare," Fernandes said.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, also speaking in Surabaya on Tuesday where distraught relatives were being offered information and help by AirAsia and local authorities, offered his prayers.He said that recovery would resume in full force as soon as possible as the heavy seas hampered efforts. Widodo said he had flown over areas where wreckage and bodies have been recovered and thanked emergency personnel and volunteers for their work.
The plane lost radar contact on Sunday with Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and the United States sending ships and planes along with other equipment to help in the search. China, India and South Korea as well as New Zealand also offered help.
CNA
Four bodies were recovered Wednesday morning, taking the figure to seven in two days, but rough weather has hampered the search in the sea and delayed the ability of air and water craft to bring the victims to Surabaya where relatives are waiting along with hospital staff and debris to a processing centre onshore at Pangkalan Bun in Kalimantan, according to Bambang Soelistyo, the head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, and other personnel.
"We are experiencing bad weather now. Rains and winds prevented us from resuming the search operation this morning," air force rescue coordinator SB Supriyadi told AFP.
Personnel from Singapore's navy have arrived at the scene and were given a more defined search area to work with - about 600 nautical miles from Singapore, according to Channel NewsAsia's Lam Shushan.
In Surabaya, ambulances are on hand and Bhayankara Hospital says it is "100 per cent ready" to receive the bodies of the victims.
SEARCH FOR PLANE WRECKAGE
The flight from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore went missing Sunday and took nearly three days to discover debris from the passenger jet and a related aerial sighting of the suspected aircraft on the sea floor, which AirAsia confirmed as the downed aircraft.
Mr Soelistyo said earlier that an air force plane Tuesday spotted a "shadow" on the seabed believed to be the missing AirAsia jet. "God blessed us today," Mr Soelistyo told a Tuesday press conference.
The aircraft is believed to be in an area of the sea where depths range from 25m to 30m, though it the fuselage may be broken in parts and debris scattered over a wide area, marine salvage experts say.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Indonesia's search-and-rescue agency has obtained a sonar image that it says may be the body of the missing AirAsia jet on the floor of the Java Sea - reportedly showing an airplane upside down on the ocean floor in 24m to 30m of water. The image was obtained Tuesday by an Indonesian Navy ship that is part of the search-and-recovery effort, the agency said in a release early Wednesday morning.
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes travelled to Surabaya on Tuesday and pledged to "do whatever we can do" to help grieving relatives and friends, adding that his heart was "broken".
"The passengers were on my aircraft and I have to take responsibility for that," he said, adding that he was focusing on supporting the families. "It's an experience I never dreamt of happening and it's probably and it's probably an airline CEO's worst nightmare," Fernandes said.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, also speaking in Surabaya on Tuesday where distraught relatives were being offered information and help by AirAsia and local authorities, offered his prayers.He said that recovery would resume in full force as soon as possible as the heavy seas hampered efforts. Widodo said he had flown over areas where wreckage and bodies have been recovered and thanked emergency personnel and volunteers for their work.
The plane lost radar contact on Sunday with Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and the United States sending ships and planes along with other equipment to help in the search. China, India and South Korea as well as New Zealand also offered help.
CNA
Myanmar drug trafficker arrested in SW China
KUNMING - A suspected Myanmar drug trafficker was arrested by Chinese
police on Monday in southwest China's Yunnan Province, local
authorities announced.
Sixteen bars of heroin weighing 8.3 kg were found wrapped with tape in the backpack of a Myanmar woman at about 10 a.m. in the Cangyuan county, according to the border police.
The woman confessed that she was promised a return of 5,000 yuan (817 U.S. dollars) to bring the drugs to China. She illegally crossed the border and got on a car but was intercepted by the police.
Cangyuan borders on Myanmar and is very close to one of the major drug sources in the world, the Golden Triangle.
Drug trafficking is a felony in China. Those convicted of trafficking more than 50 grams of heroin can face capital punishment.
Sixteen bars of heroin weighing 8.3 kg were found wrapped with tape in the backpack of a Myanmar woman at about 10 a.m. in the Cangyuan county, according to the border police.
The woman confessed that she was promised a return of 5,000 yuan (817 U.S. dollars) to bring the drugs to China. She illegally crossed the border and got on a car but was intercepted by the police.
Cangyuan borders on Myanmar and is very close to one of the major drug sources in the world, the Golden Triangle.
Drug trafficking is a felony in China. Those convicted of trafficking more than 50 grams of heroin can face capital punishment.
Joint operations likely with Myanmar
The external affairs ministry is mounting pressure on Myanmar to
carry out joint military operations to bust the hideouts of Indian
insurgent groups operating from their uninhabited hilly terrain
adjoining the border with India.
Disclosing that top NDFB and Ulfa rebels are taking refuge in Myanmar, security sources said that nearly 150 NDFB cadres, 200 of Ulfa and more than 1,500 rebels of Manipur-based militant outfits are holed up in Myanmar.
Informing that NDFB was about to start training of 80 new recruits in the hills of Myanmar in December, security sources said that NDFB self-styled military commander I.K. Songbijit and general secretary and finance secretary of the outfit are also in Myanmar camp. Clarifying that India was insisting for a joint operation with Myanmar, security sources said that in the past, the Myanmar Army claimed to have carried out operations to flush out camps of Indian insurgents.
Disclosing that top NDFB and Ulfa rebels are taking refuge in Myanmar, security sources said that nearly 150 NDFB cadres, 200 of Ulfa and more than 1,500 rebels of Manipur-based militant outfits are holed up in Myanmar.
Informing that NDFB was about to start training of 80 new recruits in the hills of Myanmar in December, security sources said that NDFB self-styled military commander I.K. Songbijit and general secretary and finance secretary of the outfit are also in Myanmar camp. Clarifying that India was insisting for a joint operation with Myanmar, security sources said that in the past, the Myanmar Army claimed to have carried out operations to flush out camps of Indian insurgents.
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Hundreds protest against China-backed mine in Myanmar
Around 500 people protested near the Chinese consulate in Myanmar's central city of Mandalay demanding the closure of a flashpoint copper mine.
YANGON: Around 500 people including dozens of Buddhist
monks protested near the Chinese consulate in Myanmar's central city of
Mandalay on Saturday (Dec 27) demanding the closure of a flashpoint
copper mine.
It was the largest protest since the fatal shooting of a woman demonstrating against the Letpadaung mine in the northwestern town of Monywa - a Chinese backed venture dogged by complaints of land grabbing and environmental damage.
Khin Win, in her 50s, was killed last Monday when police opened fire on protesters trying to stop the mine company building a fence in territory disputed with local farmers.
The mine - run by Chinese firm Wanbao as part of a joint venture with a major local military conglomerate -- has raised questions about Myanmar's reliance on investment from neighbouring China, which gave crucial political support to the former junta.
"We want the truth of what happened in Letpadaung as Khin Win was killed. We want the authorities to take appropriate action," Thein Aung Myint, a protest organiser from Movement for Democracy Current Force (MDCF) told AFP.
Small but near-daily protests against Wanbao have been held in Yangon and Mandalay.
"We are not against China. We are neighbours. But we are worried that relations between China and Myanmar may be damaged," by the mine dispute, Thein Aung Myint added.
Mandalay police confirmed the protest, saying hundreds were in attendance but no arrests were made.
Keen to prevent the issue snowballing, Wanbao has recognised the woman's "senseless death" as "painful and poignant", while China's foreign ministry on Wednesday also expressed its regret.
The Letpadaung copper mine has triggered several rounds of fierce opposition from local villagers.
In November 2012 a botched police raid using phosphorus on a protest at the mine left dozens of people, including monks, with burn injuries. That crackdown, the harshest since the end of outright army rule in 2011, sparked fury in the Buddhist-majority country.
Earlier this year two Chinese workers were kidnapped at the site by activists, though they were later released unharmed.
A new quasi-civilian government has implemented headline-grabbing reforms in recent years, including releasing political prisoners and allowing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi into parliament. But land disputes and battles for nation's rich mineral resources are posing an increasingly serious challenge.
Wanbao on Monday said Myanmar would receive US$140 million (S$135 million) a year in tax from the project. In July 2013 the country revised the terms of the mine deal with Wanbao, giving the nation a share of the profits in an apparent attempt to allay public anger.
It was the largest protest since the fatal shooting of a woman demonstrating against the Letpadaung mine in the northwestern town of Monywa - a Chinese backed venture dogged by complaints of land grabbing and environmental damage.
Khin Win, in her 50s, was killed last Monday when police opened fire on protesters trying to stop the mine company building a fence in territory disputed with local farmers.
The mine - run by Chinese firm Wanbao as part of a joint venture with a major local military conglomerate -- has raised questions about Myanmar's reliance on investment from neighbouring China, which gave crucial political support to the former junta.
"We want the truth of what happened in Letpadaung as Khin Win was killed. We want the authorities to take appropriate action," Thein Aung Myint, a protest organiser from Movement for Democracy Current Force (MDCF) told AFP.
Small but near-daily protests against Wanbao have been held in Yangon and Mandalay.
"We are not against China. We are neighbours. But we are worried that relations between China and Myanmar may be damaged," by the mine dispute, Thein Aung Myint added.
Mandalay police confirmed the protest, saying hundreds were in attendance but no arrests were made.
Keen to prevent the issue snowballing, Wanbao has recognised the woman's "senseless death" as "painful and poignant", while China's foreign ministry on Wednesday also expressed its regret.
The Letpadaung copper mine has triggered several rounds of fierce opposition from local villagers.
In November 2012 a botched police raid using phosphorus on a protest at the mine left dozens of people, including monks, with burn injuries. That crackdown, the harshest since the end of outright army rule in 2011, sparked fury in the Buddhist-majority country.
Earlier this year two Chinese workers were kidnapped at the site by activists, though they were later released unharmed.
A new quasi-civilian government has implemented headline-grabbing reforms in recent years, including releasing political prisoners and allowing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi into parliament. But land disputes and battles for nation's rich mineral resources are posing an increasingly serious challenge.
Wanbao on Monday said Myanmar would receive US$140 million (S$135 million) a year in tax from the project. In July 2013 the country revised the terms of the mine deal with Wanbao, giving the nation a share of the profits in an apparent attempt to allay public anger.
- AFP/fl
BREAKING: AirAsia flight QZ8501 from Indonesia to Singapore missing
For illustration: An AirAsia Airbus passenger plane. (Photo: AFP/files/Laurent Fievet)
JAKARTA: An AirAsia plane with 162 people on board
went missing en route from Indonesia to Singapore Sunday (Dec 28)
morning, officials and the airline said, in the third major incident to
affect a Malaysian carrier this year.
"The AirAsia flight flying from Surabaya to Singapore lost contact with Jakarta at 7.55am local time," Indonesian transport ministry spokesman J.A. Barata told AFP. The Airbus A320-200 left Juanda international airport in Surabaya in east Java at 5.20am and was expected to arrive in Singapore at 8.30am.
Indonesia's air transportation director general Djoko Murjatmodjo told AFP the plane was carrying seven crew and 155 passengers - 138 adults, 16 children and a baby, updating earlier figures. Local broadcaster MetroTV reported that the passengers included 149 Indonesians, three South Koreans, including a baby, one Briton and one Malaysian and one Singaporean.
Murjatmodjo said search efforts were being focused on an area between Belitung island and Kalimantan, on the western side of the island of Borneo, about halfway along the expected route of Flight QZ8501.
"We are coordinating with rescue team and looking for its position. We believe it is somewhere between" Tanjung Pandan, a town on Belitung island, and Kalimantan, he said. Singapore's Civil Aviation Service said the plane lost contact with Jakarta air traffic control while it was in Indonesian air space.
"Search and rescue operations have been activated by the Indonesian authorities from the Pangkal Pinang Search and Rescue office," it said, adding that Singapore's navy and air force had offered their help.
Malaysia-based AirAsia confirmed its plane was missing. "At the present time we unfortunately have no further information regarding the status of the passengers and crew members on board, but we will keep all parties informed as more information becomes available," the airline said.
"At this time, search and rescue operations are in progress and AirAsia is cooperating fully and assisting the rescue service."
The latest incident comes at the end of a disastrous year for Malaysian aviation. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, carrying 239 people, disappeared in March after inexplicably diverting from its Kuala Lumpur-Beijing course. No trace of the aircraft has been found.
Just months later MH17 went down in July in rebellion-torn eastern Ukraine - believed to have been hit by a surface-to-air missile - killing all 298 aboard.
AirAsia, Asia's budget travel leader, is led by flamboyant boss Tony Fernandes, a former record industry executive who acquired the then-failing airline in 2001. It has seen spectacular success and aggressive growth under his low-cost, low-overhead model. While its rival Malaysia Airlines faces potential collapse after two disasters this year, AirAsia confirmed this month its order of 55 A330-900neo at a list price of US$15 billion.
"The AirAsia flight flying from Surabaya to Singapore lost contact with Jakarta at 7.55am local time," Indonesian transport ministry spokesman J.A. Barata told AFP. The Airbus A320-200 left Juanda international airport in Surabaya in east Java at 5.20am and was expected to arrive in Singapore at 8.30am.
Indonesia's air transportation director general Djoko Murjatmodjo told AFP the plane was carrying seven crew and 155 passengers - 138 adults, 16 children and a baby, updating earlier figures. Local broadcaster MetroTV reported that the passengers included 149 Indonesians, three South Koreans, including a baby, one Briton and one Malaysian and one Singaporean.
Murjatmodjo said search efforts were being focused on an area between Belitung island and Kalimantan, on the western side of the island of Borneo, about halfway along the expected route of Flight QZ8501.
"We are coordinating with rescue team and looking for its position. We believe it is somewhere between" Tanjung Pandan, a town on Belitung island, and Kalimantan, he said. Singapore's Civil Aviation Service said the plane lost contact with Jakarta air traffic control while it was in Indonesian air space.
"Search and rescue operations have been activated by the Indonesian authorities from the Pangkal Pinang Search and Rescue office," it said, adding that Singapore's navy and air force had offered their help.
Malaysia-based AirAsia confirmed its plane was missing. "At the present time we unfortunately have no further information regarding the status of the passengers and crew members on board, but we will keep all parties informed as more information becomes available," the airline said.
The latest incident comes at the end of a disastrous year for Malaysian aviation. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, carrying 239 people, disappeared in March after inexplicably diverting from its Kuala Lumpur-Beijing course. No trace of the aircraft has been found.
Just months later MH17 went down in July in rebellion-torn eastern Ukraine - believed to have been hit by a surface-to-air missile - killing all 298 aboard.
AirAsia, Asia's budget travel leader, is led by flamboyant boss Tony Fernandes, a former record industry executive who acquired the then-failing airline in 2001. It has seen spectacular success and aggressive growth under his low-cost, low-overhead model. While its rival Malaysia Airlines faces potential collapse after two disasters this year, AirAsia confirmed this month its order of 55 A330-900neo at a list price of US$15 billion.
- AFP/CNA/by
Air traffic controllers lose contact with AirAsia plane
A file photo of an AirAsia Airbus A320.
Wikimedia Commons/File
Last Updated Dec 28, 2014 12:38 AM EST
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- An AirAsia plane with
162 people aboard lost contact with ground control on Sunday after
takeoff from Indonesia on the way to Singapore, and search and rescue
operations were underway.Flight QZ8501 lost communication with Jakarta's air traffic control at 7:24 a.m. Singapore time (2324 GMT Saturday), about an hour before it was scheduled to land in Singapore, the Singapore Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.
The contact was lost about 42 minutes after the Airbus A320-200 took off from Indonesia's Surabaya airport, Hadi Mustofa, an official of the transportation ministry told Indonesia's MetroTV.
"At this time, search and rescue operations are in progress and AirAsia is cooperating fully and assisting the rescue service," the airline said in a statement, adding that a hotline had been established for people who believed their loved ones may have been on board.
The plane had seven crew members and 155 passengers on board, including 16 children and one infant, AirAsia said. There were five foreigners among the passengers and crew -- three South Koreans, including an infant, one person from Singapore and one from Malaysia. The rest were Indonesians.
"The aircraft was on the submitted flight plan route and was requesting deviation due to enroute weather before communication with the aircraft was lost while it was still under the control of the Indonesian Air Traffic Control (ATC)," the airline said.
The plane lost contact when it was believed to be over the Java Sea between Kalimantan and Java islands, Mustofa said. He said the weather in the area was cloudy.
The Singapore aviation authority said it was informed about the missing plane by Jakarta ground control about half an hour after the contact was lost.
"Search and rescue operations have been activated by the Indonesian authorities," it said, adding that the Singapore air force and the navy also were activated with two C-130 planes.
Malaysia-based AirAsia, a regional low-cost carrier with presence in several Southeast Asian countries, said the aircraft underwent scheduled maintenance on November 16. The airline has never lost a plane before.
"The captain in command had a total of 6,100 flying hours and the first officer a total of 2,275 flying hours," the airline said.
White House spokesperson Eric Schultz told CBS News that President Obama "has been briefed on AirAsia Flight 8501 and White House officials will continue to monitor the situation."
If has been a difficult year for the Malaysian aviation industry.
On March 8, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.
Four months later, on July 17, 298 passengers and crew died when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed in Eastern Ukraine. Dutch air crash investigators said in September the plane was likely struck by multiple "high-energy objects from outside the aircraft," which some aviation experts say is consistent with a strike by a missile.
CBSNEWS
Surveillance system to keep tabs on Myanmar refugees
HYDERABAD:
In the backdrop of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arresting
Myanmar national Khaleed Mohammed from the city recently in connection
with the Burdwan blast case, Hyderabad police are in the process of
establishing a permanent surveillance mechanism to keep tabs on Myanmar
refugees taking shelter in the city.
Briefing reporters at the annual customary press conference here on Saturday, Hyderabad police commissioner M Mahender Reddy said that information about Myanmar nationals, including their photographs, countries they had lived in before landing in Hyderabad and their activities in the city, are being collected. A system of permanent surveillance would be put in place soon, he said.
Khaleed was arrested from his residence in Balapur in Cyberabad commissionerate limits and neither Hyderabad nor Cyberabad police had any inkling that the Burdwan blast accused was talking shelter in the city until NIA arrested him.
To a query on whether any 'recruiters' working for IS or al-Qaida are under scanner, the commissioner replied that there were no fresh leads since the arrest of two former SIMI cadres a couple of months ago near Secunderabad railway station. In the said incident, Saidabad resident Mothasim Billah's name had cropped up as the two confessed that he was recruiting youths for al-Qaida.
"We are in the process of gathering evidence against him (Billah). No one will be spared if involved. In this case, we are exploring more possibilities of gathering evidence against him,'' Mahender Reddy said, adding that the general alert issued by Intelligence Bureau (IB) across the country was received by city police and vigil stepped at key installations and public places.
Briefing reporters at the annual customary press conference here on Saturday, Hyderabad police commissioner M Mahender Reddy said that information about Myanmar nationals, including their photographs, countries they had lived in before landing in Hyderabad and their activities in the city, are being collected. A system of permanent surveillance would be put in place soon, he said.
Khaleed was arrested from his residence in Balapur in Cyberabad commissionerate limits and neither Hyderabad nor Cyberabad police had any inkling that the Burdwan blast accused was talking shelter in the city until NIA arrested him.
To a query on whether any 'recruiters' working for IS or al-Qaida are under scanner, the commissioner replied that there were no fresh leads since the arrest of two former SIMI cadres a couple of months ago near Secunderabad railway station. In the said incident, Saidabad resident Mothasim Billah's name had cropped up as the two confessed that he was recruiting youths for al-Qaida.
"We are in the process of gathering evidence against him (Billah). No one will be spared if involved. In this case, we are exploring more possibilities of gathering evidence against him,'' Mahender Reddy said, adding that the general alert issued by Intelligence Bureau (IB) across the country was received by city police and vigil stepped at key installations and public places.
Myanmar man dies with slash wound on neck
KUALA LUMPUR: A Myanmar man was found dead with a deep slash wound on
his neck at the Look Out Tower in Ampang here, early Saturday.
Ampang Jaya District Police chief ACP Khairuldin Saad said a scrap metal collector found the body of the victim, in his 30s, and alerted the police.
He said, other than the neck wound, the victim was believed to have been assaulted with a hard object on his neck.
"Based on the blood found, he was believed to have died five hours ago. The objects used to kill him were not found," he said at the scene of the incident.
Khairuddin said the victim wore a blue checkered shirt, jeans and sandals and had a card from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
However, police did not reveal the identity of the victim.
"The motive for the killing has not been ascertained. The body was sent to the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital for a post-mortem," he said. – Bernama
Daily Express.
Ampang Jaya District Police chief ACP Khairuldin Saad said a scrap metal collector found the body of the victim, in his 30s, and alerted the police.
He said, other than the neck wound, the victim was believed to have been assaulted with a hard object on his neck.
"Based on the blood found, he was believed to have died five hours ago. The objects used to kill him were not found," he said at the scene of the incident.
Khairuddin said the victim wore a blue checkered shirt, jeans and sandals and had a card from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
However, police did not reveal the identity of the victim.
"The motive for the killing has not been ascertained. The body was sent to the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital for a post-mortem," he said. – Bernama
Daily Express.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)