MH370 families raise funds to find 'whistleblower'

[Lite Beer]

MH370 families raise funds to find 'whistleblower'
Agence France-Presse

KUALA LUMPUR June 8, 2014 12:36 pm
Several families of those aboard Flight MH370 on Sunday launched a drive to raise $5 million to reward any insider who comes forward and resolves the mystery of the plane's disappearance exactly three months ago.

The "Reward MH370" campaign launches on fundraising website Indiegogo and aims to raise at least $5 million "to encourage a whistleblower to come forward with information", the families said in a press release.

The Malaysia Airlines jet lost contact on March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard -- about two-thirds of them Chinese.

The Boeing 777 is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, but an extensive search has turned up no sign of wreckage so far, leaving frustrated and anguished families of those aboard suspecting a cover-up.

"We are convinced that somewhere, someone knows something, and we hope this reward will entice him or her to come forward," said Ethan Hunt, a technology company chief who is heading the "Reward MH370" project.

Sarah Bajc, partner of American passenger Philip Wood, said a handful of families were behind the campaign to look at the unprecedented aviation mystery with "a fresh set of eyes".

"Governments and agencies have given it their best shot but have failed to turn up a single shred of evidence, either because of a faulty approach or due to intentional misdirection by one or more individuals," she said in the release.

Malaysia and Australia, which is leading the search far off its western coast, have promised that the hunt for the plane will continue.

An international team is now determining an expanded search zone of up to 60,000 square kilometres (24,000 square miles) based on where the aircraft last communicated with an Inmarsat satellite.

Australia has also released a request for tenders for a company to be engaged as a prime contractor and provide the expertise, equipment and vessels needed to carry out the deep-sea search from August.

Malaysia -- ruled by the same coalition since 1957 with a history of sweeping scandals aside -- has taken the brunt of criticism from upset relatives.

The Southeast Asian country has insisted it is doing all it can and working closely with Australia, China and other countries to find the jet.

-- The Nation 2014-06-08

[londonthai]

CIA knows and it's likely there would be another snowden or wikileak not to long.

if thailand was also involved, as is suspected, those $5m would certainly be a temptation to tell the truth

[billd766]

CIA knows and it's likely there would be another snowden or wikileak not to long.

if thailand was also involved, as is suspected, those $5m would certainly be a temptation to tell the truth

And how do you know that what you have said is true?

Do you have access to sources that governments the world over do not?

[Fat Haggis]

I thought rumours and conspiracy theories were a big no no on TVF?

[Scott]

I thought rumours and conspiracy theories were a big no no on TVF?

Conspiracy theories are generally a big no-no because they are off-topic. In the case of the MAS plane, other than a few really, really, really far out posts which have absolutely no basis in fact, it's hard to say they are a conspiracy because nobody knows what has happened to the plane.

All we have right now are theories and some are bit further out in left-field than others, but that's about it.

[coma]

They should give that money to the taxpayers that are footing the bill for this growingly expensive search.

[whimsy]

"We are convinced that somewhere, someone knows something, and we hope this reward will entice him or her to come forward," said Ethan Hunt

Mission Impossible?

[canuckamuck]

Good idea

[britmaveric]

Sad truth - plane is at the bottom of the ocean and Malays are to blame for sleeping through an unidentified plane flying through their air space. If they would have scrambled jets and followed it - we would not be in this mess right now.

[NeverSure]

There was a standing reward of 25 million dollars from the US government for Bin Laden and no one ever responded to it. He was found by electronic surveillance and because one of his close associates made a mistake. There was also the promise of immediate sanctuary in the US, identity change and protection by the CIA. Ten years and no one collected the reward - no one came forward.

Due to religious fervor, if the plane is in a terrorist friendly nation a reward probably won't do any good. That's where I guess it is, too. The captain was a sympathizer and was upset with the current Malaysian government. No debris has been found after 3 months - it just vanished.

[jaapfries]

There was a standing reward of 25 million dollars from the US government for Bin Laden and no one ever responded to it. He was found by electronic surveillance and because one of his close associates made a mistake. There was also the promise of immediate sanctuary in the US, identity change and protection by the CIA. Ten years and no one collected the reward - no one came forward.

Due to religious fervor, if the plane is in a terrorist friendly nation a reward probably won't do any good. That's where I guess it is, too. The captain was a sympathizer and was upset with the current Malaysian government. No debris has been found after 3 months - it just vanished.

THAT is the thing that doesn't make sense to me; since this plane had some 250 Seats on board; all made of 'flotation-type" materials - and I, for one, find it extremely suspicious that not even ONE of these floating pieces of airplane-seats has NOT come to the surface anywhere . . . . . . These floating cushions are very easily identifiable and surely IF this plane crashed in some ocean, some of these cushions MUST have been able to float to the surface ! ! It would only take 1 of these to confirm that this plane crashed into the water, yet nothing has been spotted by anyone: this is highly unlikely.

[Scott]

Off-topic post deleted.

[mdmayes]

Nothing has worked so far in trying to find the plane. A reward certainly can not hurt in its efforts. Will the reward produce results...time will tell.

[Shiver]

Anybody bothered to look at Diego Garcia? or the Human manifest of people with certain specialised skills? Just a theory, and I didn't conspire with anyone.

[allanos]

The Americans, the Israeli's, the Brits, Diego Garcia - this "conspiracy theory" has been "out there" for quite some while now. It begs the question, if the plane is there, or being held in a "terrorist friendly country", what is/ has been the fate of the passengers and crew? They would have to be released at some time in the future, or permanently silenced . . .

[biplanebluey]

Good idea

Just 2 words great post mate to get your No's up----- now please explain what is a "good idea"

[Suradit69]

The "Reward MH370" campaign launches on fundraising website Indiegogo and aims to raise at least $5 million "to encourage a whistleblower to come forward with information", the families said in a press release.

Unfortunately it will probably bring forward a bunch of (to put it nicely) conspiracy theorists who have inside information on sightings of UFOs & aliens from Mars surrounding the plane at take off or maybe they know of super secret CIA involvement ... oh wait.

CIA knows and it's likely there would be another snowden or wikileak not to long.

if thailand was also involved, as is suspected, those $5m would certainly be a temptation to tell the truth

"if thailand was also involved, as is suspected,..."

Do you want the check/cheque made out to you or to "cash?"

[allanos]

Does anyone have a problem with an Alien Abduction theory?

[bigbamboo]

I guess there's nothing new under the sun. Over half a decade ago there was the famous 'Stardust' disappearance in South America. A plane inexplicably goes missing and conspiracy theories abound. Political machinations, suspicious passengers, even alien abduction (all sound familiar?) and ultimately it came down to the mundane.... human/systems error, the plane crashed into the Andes and nature covered everything up.

I think in time this will prove to be the case here too.

[Robert sutton]

How meny times must a friend of have to tell the papers the airport police , that on the night the plane went missing he was awoke buy a loud noise he said was defiantly jet engines flying low over his house , he lives in ban phi near rayong post code 21160 ,he as acid the engine as they came over his house increased in power as he thought it was going to crash ,but went higher and higher till it went out of hearing He is convinced it was the MH 370 plane but no one as contacted him buy phone or e mail How knows it might have been the plane There spending millions looking out to sea and it could very easily have landed on one of a dozen air fields left after the war

[canuckamuck]

Good idea

Just 2 words great post mate to get your No's up----- now please explain what is a "good idea"

The Op describes the good idea.

Did you prefer a wall of text?

[Chicog]

Why do I get the feeling there are a few Nigerians who are suddenly going to "discover" its whereabouts?

[Soutpeel]

How meny times must a friend of have to tell the papers the airport police , that on the night the plane went missing he was awoke buy a loud noise he said was defiantly jet engines flying low over his house , he lives in ban phi near rayong post code 21160 ,he as acid the engine as they came over his house increased in power as he thought it was going to crash ,but went higher and higher till it went out of hearing He is convinced it was the MH 370 plane but no one as contacted him buy phone or e mail How knows it might have been the plane There spending millions looking out to sea and it could very easily have landed on one of a dozen air fields left after the war

Or of course its a military aircraft on approach to U-tapo, there are plenty which land there both Thai and US

[JeffreyWitty]

THAT is the thing that doesn't make sense to me; since this plane had some 250 Seats on board; all made of 'flotation-type" materials - and I, for one, find it extremely suspicious that not even ONE of these floating pieces of airplane-seats has NOT come to the surface anywhere . . . . . . These floating cushions are very easily identifiable and surely IF this plane crashed in some ocean, some of these cushions MUST have been able to float to the surface ! ! It would only take 1 of these to confirm that this plane crashed into the water, yet nothing has been spotted by anyone: this is highly unlikely.

Maybe you don't understand how search missions work.

1) The Indian Ocean is VAST!

2) How can anyone identify 1 specific type of REALLY small (seat cushion) debris from all the OTHER crap littering the Indian Ocean (there is a LOT)!

3) You are not even considering that they may not even be in the right search area yet.

I am all up for listening to other people theories - if they make at LEAST a little bit of COMMON SENSE.

Look, I am sure someone here was in the Navy and will chime in and say how HARD it is to spot a single pillow floating among waves, or floating in a pile of rubbish a couple miles big (from all the other floating rubbish that has accumulated over the years).

[Buckeye21]

I still find it very difficult to understand how a plane as big as a 777 can just vanish. All the satellites and technology available and still its able to happen. I hope there is some closure for the families that lost friends and loved ones.