MH370: Govt yet to identify actual location of missing plane - Hishammuddin

The Malaysian Government is still discussing with the Australian and Chinese authorities to identify a new location in the Indian Ocean to locate the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370 aircraft which vanished on March 8.

Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the discussion also involved a new phase and the use of suitable assets for the operation to locate the aircraft.

"That is very important in this new phase because without knowing or deciding where this area is going to be, it's very difficult for us to understand what sort of equipment is needed, which have specific capabilities, for the search mission," he said.

He said this to reporters after opening the 2014 annual convention of the Armed Forces Religious Corp and launching a book here today.

Flight MH370, with 227 passengers and 12 crew which was on its way to Beijing, China went off the radar on March 8, an hour after departing from the KL International Airport at 12.41am.

On March 24, 17 days after the Boeing 777-200ER went missing, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that Flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.

Hishammuddin once again urged all quarters against speculating on a report which alleged that aircraft pilot, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was the prime suspect behind the disappearance of MH370.

"Don't listen to speculation, basically it's not fair to the pilot's family. It's about family and he has children and this time, if you're wrong, how you're going to repair the damage," he said.

Recently, the Sunday Times, United Kingdom reported that the Royal Malaysian Police now regarded Zaharie as the major suspect in the disappearance of Flight MH370.