There is a need to relook the civil aviation sector to enhance it and plug loopholes along the way in the wake of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the security and defence landscapes would also need to be revisited to address what might be perceived as weaknesses, in light of the plane’s vanishing over three weeks ago.
“We may have to look at matters such as satellites, radar link-up with the necessary expertise, as well as asset acquisition,” Hishammuddin, who is also acting transport minister, said here yesterday.
He is here to attend the first United States-Asean Defence Forum convened by US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel.
The Beijing-bound Flight MH370 with 239 people on board vanished mid-flight over the South China Sea after taking off from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 8.
The massive international hunt for the aircraft which is believed to have gone down in the southern Indian Ocean is being conducted west of Perth, Australia.
Sharing what transpired during his interactions here with regard to MH370, Hishammuddin said: “We were discussing about the future, about the next phase – not that we’re praying for such time to come.
“We’re taking the technology that’s available, who has it, what needs to be done. And this calls for sharing of expertise among Asean countries,” he said.
On the presence of Asean defence ministers in Hawaii, Hishammuddin noted that Asean was here at the forum as a bloc.
“If we’re on our own individually, nobody will care about us,” he said.
He said a united Asean would command respect and this would lead to other countries being more forthcoming to render any support and assistance in its hour of need.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the security and defence landscapes would also need to be revisited to address what might be perceived as weaknesses, in light of the plane’s vanishing over three weeks ago.
“We may have to look at matters such as satellites, radar link-up with the necessary expertise, as well as asset acquisition,” Hishammuddin, who is also acting transport minister, said here yesterday.
He is here to attend the first United States-Asean Defence Forum convened by US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel.
The Beijing-bound Flight MH370 with 239 people on board vanished mid-flight over the South China Sea after taking off from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 8.
The massive international hunt for the aircraft which is believed to have gone down in the southern Indian Ocean is being conducted west of Perth, Australia.
Sharing what transpired during his interactions here with regard to MH370, Hishammuddin said: “We were discussing about the future, about the next phase – not that we’re praying for such time to come.
“We’re taking the technology that’s available, who has it, what needs to be done. And this calls for sharing of expertise among Asean countries,” he said.
On the presence of Asean defence ministers in Hawaii, Hishammuddin noted that Asean was here at the forum as a bloc.
“If we’re on our own individually, nobody will care about us,” he said.
He said a united Asean would command respect and this would lead to other countries being more forthcoming to render any support and assistance in its hour of need.
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