Thai Air Force radar may have picked up MH370

[napawan28]

I want to know too. Butterworth is Malaysia military air base. What happened behind the door?

[KonKorat]

Better late than never!

[JetsetBkk]

You gotta love Thailand!

No, you don't.

Oops, sorry, sarcasm. OK, I get it now.

[KamalaRider]

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If you think Thailand is the only country , agency , withholding info on this I doubt it .... There is a lot more to this story and I believe a lot more info being with held ... time will tell ...I feel for the passanges families ... no closure is a heavy burden for anyone ....

Come on...It is not because it is your country that you should defend the total lack of commitment and unprofessional behavior of the army while a civil plane with over 200 persons has dissappeared. I am curious to know how you would react if your son, daughter or mother was on board that plane. How would you feel?

Your answer basically says that more people in Thailand believe the army handled properly, making the whole world think ALL Thai's have no common sense, are selfish and careless. STOP defending the indefensible just because it is your country.

I have no Ida what you are dribbling on about ... Read my post again ! ... I stated that I believe there is a lot more to come out of this Plane Disalearance then any news agency has reported .... Get a life !! TROLL

IMO, If you would have started the sentence - 'Thailand is the not the only country.....' That would have been a lot better than what you wrote.

[JetsetBkk]

<snip>

Criticism of the Malaysian folks has been way overboard and fueled by an out of control media

Totally agree. I thought the PM's report was very clear, concise, unambiguous and explained exactly why the search zones were changed as new information came to light. It is the media who are reporting ridiculous theories and causing more distress to the families.

I thought Martin Patience's interview for BBC World of a clearly distressed Chinese man was one of the worst reports I have ever seen on the BBC for sheer opportunism and unwarranted criticism of the Malaysian government.

[techboy]

Idiots. Seriously, Thailand, the laughing stock of Asia.

There is something off with the way this has been reported. The Air Force would jump on the chance to be credited with a quick response containing useful information. "Laughing stocks" would be expat deadwood whose only reality is inside their atrophied brains and who believe that their opinion about Thailand could even remotely be universal

[belg]

a week after the facts they come with this info ? do they want to look smart? after the facts? soon a thai fortune teller will predict, after the facts of course, that they knew where the plane was

[Gummigalgen]

When these are the radar detection and information skills of the Thai intelligence; I better stop flying from Suvarnabhumi airport.

[Soi Dog]

I agree that there is no excuse for the Thai military withholding this information. Similarly, there is no excuse for the Malaysians not asking. If you consider that the Malaysian attitude is likely to be similar to the Thais in this sort of situation you have to wonder what they are hiding ir trying to cover up. On the other hand there is an old saying that when the two possible explanations for government behavior are malign conspiracy and incompetence, you should put your money on incompetence.

[Tonawatchee]

It is sad to see the lack of interest shown by the Thai Air Force for the missing Malaysian civilian airliner. The 10 delay before mentioning their radar track evidence conjures up a new Thai 'Hub Tag':

-Hub of International Indifference.

[Gandtee]

Perhaps this is one of the benefits of being in Asean? Ignore other members problems.

[Wombat6]

I wonder how damaging this will be to the TAT. The Chineses won't be impressed.

[gdringjr]

Airline aircraft are required to have EPIRBs or ELTs - an aircraft like the B777 would have several. One in a secure part of the airframe (activated on hard ground contact or in water) and portable ELTs for life rafts or you go looking for help on land. The SARSAT satellites are equipped to receive activated ELT signals and will immediately send details of location and time etc to the nearest ground SAR organisation. However on this occasion no ELT signals have been received - same as for the Air France A330 in the Atlantic Ocean. The ELTs do not work too well in deep water and the batteries would have expired by now. But the flight Data and Cockpit Voice recorders have a 30 day battery life. As you may know these were recovered from the Air France A330 after 2 years. The wreckage was found by a French Submarine using sonar -and if there is nothing found on the surface in the Indian Ocean search I think that this is the only way the wreckage (if there is) will be located this time. I hope that the US, UK and other nations with suitable submarines are ready to search the very deep Indian Ocean if a reasonably accurate location can be determined.

Thanks for that Bra however I've done a little more research and none of the media is reporting the ABSENCE of emergency beacon (EPIRB/ELT, etc.) signals to the SARSAT satellites. This would be news if there were no such signals. If the aircraft were equipped with emergency locater beacons and these devices were not activated it would mean either that the plane is still above ground and in good condtion or that the devices were destroyed (despite being designed to survive) and made inoperable as in the case of Air France 447.

The emergency locater beacons are designed to survive a crash, float (if the crash is in water) and send at least a couple days of location information to SAR satellites. Why is nobody talking about these devices? This is completely separate from the Radar/Transponder/ACARS issues that have been raised and discussed. Why the silence on this technology that as you say, the aircraft was equipped with?

[jimbeam1]

Thailand. World Hub of Incompetency.

I wouldn't say that they are good at scamming.

jb1

[metisdead]

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[tso310]

From todays news briefing in KL

Hishammuddin confirmed that Malaysia has received some new radar data, but would not reveal where it came from.

Thailand said its radar confirmed that the plane took a westerly turn.

Hishammudin said the source of the data was sensitive and that it was up to the host country to release it.

[Cuchulainn]

Typical incompetent, bumbling fools. Would do well in the UDD hierarchy!!

[bangon04]

The next headline will read:

"Unscheduled Malaysian Airlines plane lands at Suvarnabhumi 11 days ago. Thai authorities think nothing of it."

...because nobody asked.

and somebody painted out the logo......so they are trained to ignore planes with blacked out logos..

Edited March 19, 2014 by bangon04

[bangon04]

When these are the radar detection and information skills of the Thai intelligence; I better stop flying from Suvarnabhumi airport.

Thailand spent so much money on purchasing and installing expensive military radar. Unfortunately they forgot to get any training / lessons in analysing the data. I blame the Americans of course....

[Blackmirage2013]

This news is so old.... that plane has been sited over the MALDIVES.... and guess what? No wreck, so you can bet that if it is NOT found, it is being prepared for some nefarious event in the Middle East of Africa...

[tso310]

Hadn't realised the Bangkok Post didn't like linking but the report is quoted in other Thai and Indonesian publications should you feel a need to read it.. Anyhow an RTAF spokesperson stated on March 15 that no radar traces had been picked up from their radar in Hat Yai.

Edited March 19, 2014 by tso310

[andyww]

One of the strange aspects of the media reporting on this is they continue, as they have always done, to completely ignore the Moslem insurgency in S Thailand.

I have lost count of the number of times I have read this cant be terrorism because there are no Moslem terrorists in SE Asia.

Of course its unlikely the insurgency has anything to do with it but they have picked up on every other wacky theory and missed this completely.

[khrab]

Thank You Thailand for this useless piece of information - now go back to sleep and give us another update in 11 days time !! Pathetic !!

Certainly not the brightest candles on the Christmas Tree these Thai's !

Talking about bright candles: The English plural has no apostrophe.

[HOOD Robin]

can you imagine when Western countries have to take miliair air/navy exercises together with this Thai buffalo army !?

Oh my Budha !!!!!!

[DtemJai]

^{http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/video http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/on-the-record/2014/03/19/greta-shame-thailand}

Edited March 19, 2014 by DtemJai

[khaowong1]

TAT reports, that the disappearance of MH370 will have no impact on tourist numbers this year..

[techboy]

At first they were thinking it was a spirit .....

I'll bet people that are hanging on to any news that is possibly concerning loved ones are just chuckling away at your light heartedness and clever jest.

[techboy]

This would not be justification for the silence but- Maybe the Air Force wanted first crack at finding the plane themselves so they did not volunteer information but gave it up when asked? The glory of breaking the case- like that.

[peecee]

I just read this on the other world feeds and had a bit of a chuckle. Here it is, 10 days since the disappearance of MH370 and the Thai military just now release their radar traces. When asked why they just released them now, their response was that no one had asked them. Priceless.

EDIT: As you would expect, the western media is now ripping Thailand a new one for taking so long to release this data.

They have a radar contact inbound from the Gulf of Thailand which squawks no data (that will pass through its airspace on a track to Penang) but don't scramble a fighter to challenge it, someones in for a bollocking! Maybe loss of face in the Thai Air Force is the reason why it took so long to own up!

[bra]

Airline aircraft are required to have EPIRBs or ELTs - an aircraft like the B777 would have several. One in a secure part of the airframe (activated on hard ground contact or in water) and portable ELTs for life rafts or you go looking for help on land. The SARSAT satellites are equipped to receive activated ELT signals and will immediately send details of location and time etc to the nearest ground SAR organisation. However on this occasion no ELT signals have been received - same as for the Air France A330 in the Atlantic Ocean. The ELTs do not work too well in deep water and the batteries would have expired by now. But the flight Data and Cockpit Voice recorders have a 30 day battery life. As you may know these were recovered from the Air France A330 after 2 years. The wreckage was found by a French Submarine using sonar -and if there is nothing found on the surface in the Indian Ocean search I think that this is the only way the wreckage (if there is) will be located this time. I hope that the US, UK and other nations with suitable submarines are ready to search the very deep Indian Ocean if a reasonably accurate location can be determined.

Thanks for that Bra however I've done a little more research and none of the media is reporting the ABSENCE of emergency beacon (EPIRB/ELT, etc.) signals to the SARSAT satellites. This would be news if there were no such signals. If the aircraft were equipped with emergency locater beacons and these devices were not activated it would mean either that the plane is still above ground and in good condtion or that the devices were destroyed (despite being designed to survive) and made inoperable as in the case of Air France 447.

The emergency locater beacons are designed to survive a crash, float (if the crash is in water) and send at least a couple days of location information to SAR satellites. Why is nobody talking about these devices? This is completely separate from the Radar/Transponder/ACARS issues that have been raised and discussed. Why the silence on this technology that as you say, the aircraft was equipped with?

You are correct that no reports of the non receipt of ELT transmissions have been made in the media, but this is not significant news to most media as they don't understand the technology involved. Obviously if an ELT had been detected the aircraft would have been located on the ground or in the water. ELTs transmit on 406 and 121.5 MHz - 406 to be detected by the SARSAT, and 121.5 to allow search aircraft to home on the signal. !21.5 is also the aviation distress frequency and nearly all airline aircraft maintain a listening watch on this frequency - and often report receiving beacon signals - many false alarms - which are all followed up. Pilots flying in the South China Sea area on the night the aircraft went missing were asked to call MAS370 on 121.5 and normal control frequencies. ATC units are also equipped with this frequency.