Indonesian Navy Joins Search for Missing Malaysian Plane

Jakarta (Antara) - The Indonesian navy had deployed five ships and a helicopter to help search for a Malaysia Airlines plane that went missing early Saturday, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto said. "Five ships and a search and rescue helicopter have been deployed from our naval base. All have been ordered to help the search and rescue mission," he said as quoted by Metro TV on Sunday. The Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members from 14 countries and Taiwan was reported to have lost radar contact on its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Among the passengers are seven Indonesians. Suyanto told Antara earlier that the chief of Malaysian Defence Forces had requested Indonesia's participation in the search for the missing Boeing 777-200 aircraft. "The TNI (Indonesian Defence Forces) gives a positive response to the request. All components of the TNI who get involved in the mission will coordinate with the Malaysian authorities," he said in his text message. Besides Indonesia, the Malaysian authorities' efforts to search for the missing plane are also assisted by China, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam and the United States. The MAS authority had earlier announced that those on board of the ill-fated aircraft consisted of 153 people, including one infant, from China/Taiwan, 38 (Malaysia), seven (Indonesia), five (India), six (Australia), four (France), three including infant (USA), two (New Zealand), two (Ukraine), two (Canada), one (Russia), one (Italy), one (Netherlands), and one (Austria). However, the Austrian and Italian authorities had reportedly denied that their citizens were on board of the MAS flight MH370. Instead, they confirmed that their respective citizens' passports had been stolen when they were in Thailand. (*)