International search planes and ships scouring Indonesian waters for a missing AirAsia plane yesterday focused on a patch of oil for possible clues, as a top official warned that the aircraft was likely at the bottom of the sea.
Australia, Singapore and Malaysia joined the Indonesia-led search as relatives waited for news of their loved ones more than a day after Flight QZ8501 disappeared over the Java Sea on Sunday with 162 people on board.
The Airbus A320-200 lost contact en route from Surabaya in Indonesia’s Java Island to Singapore after the crew requested a change of flight plan due to stormy weather, in the third crisis to hit a Malaysian carrier this year.
PHOTO: AFP
Indonesian Air Force spokesman Hadi Tjahjanto told reporters that the search was now concentrated on an oil patch spotted off Belitung Island in the Java Sea.
“We are making sure whether it was avtur [aviation fuel] from the AirAsia plane or from a vessel because that location is a shipping line,” he said.
Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla said an object spotted at sea was not from the plane.
“The government will not give up and is not giving a time limit for the search,” he said.
Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) chief Bambang Soelistyo earlier said it was likely that the plane was at the “bottom of the sea.”
The hypothesis is “based on the coordinates given to us and evaluation that the estimated crash position is in the sea,” Bambang Soelistyo told journalists.
Intan, 28, said Indonesia needed overseas help to find the plane that was carrying her brother and his family and friends.
“My hope is Indonesia seeks as much help as possible from other countries. Don’t claim: ‘We have sophisticated technology,’ just ask other countries because they are better equipped,” she said, as Jakarta welcomed offers of help.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source