as seen on tv
Senator
After 11 days, the preponderance of (publicly released) evidence by the Malaysian government has cast suspicion most directly on Captain Shah, an alleged political “fanatic”, as the cause of the disappearance. Here’s what’s been formally released, and what is not so well known (culled from various news sources)
· Captain Shah attended the trial of opposition leader Anwar the day before MA370 took off, and was said to be distraught at the politician's conviction for “sodomy” on apparently trumped up charges
· Captain Shah is somehow “related” (conflicting explanations) to opposition leader Anwar’s son in law.
· Captain Shah’s family disappeared the day before the plane took off, and apparently hasn’t been located
· Captain Shah made his own flight simulator at home, for purposes unknown. Some data on the simulator hard drive was erased at some point.
Ok – that’s what the Malaysian government is leading with, without actually calling Shah the hijacker/suspect. Here are some additional facts to consider, if you do a deeper dive
· Opposition leader Anwar is head of the “People’s Justice Party”, which is apparently not Islamic or otherwise radical. PJP's political platform revolves around ending economic discrimination against various ethnic groups and adopting a more “progressive”, corruption-free approach to governing. It has no history of terrorism or violence. The existing Malay government has been in power for 50 years, is very “conservative” socially, passes out political favors based on ethnicity, and has used questionable/violent approaches to suppressing opposition in the past.
· Opposition leader Anwar at first denied that he knew Shah, then admitted a few days later he was a relative. All this from behind bars? Who is granting access to Anwar, and why is this stuff dribbling out? Some claim the government is trying to smear the People’s Justice Party with allegations, and others see an cynical turn of events by Anwar attempting to milk sympathy for his cause. In any case, Captain Shah only met Anwar 1 or 2 times at most – they were not personal friends, and Shah is described as a casual PJP party member, seldom attending functions. His hot button appears to be reform and human rights, not intense party involvement. When was the last time you heard of a human rights advocate killing random civilians to make his case?
· Captain Shah’s family was indeed last seen at his home a day before Malaysian Air 370 took off. However Shah and his wife were separated, had lived apart for some time, and were apparently divorcing. The fact that the Malaysian government says it still cannot locate them is troubling, but this may or may not be true. The Malaysian government has delayed release of facts/events related to the missing plane repeatedly. In any case, Shah's daughter has lived legally in Melbourne Australia for years.
· The flight simulator in Shah’s home was well known to friends and neighbors. He used to entertain guests at parties in his home with it, like a videogame. Although its certainly possible that Shah programmed his simulator to practice landing at a remote, unmonitored airfield, where would he get the necessary telemetry and visuals/graphics to program such a simulation ? The airfields in question are unattended jungle and desert strips. And besides, doesn’t it seem probable after nearly 2 weeks that satellites and search aircraft have already examined every known airfield within range of MA370 for signs of recent activity?
None of this is intended by me to suggest that Captain Shah wasn’t complicit in the course change on MA370. The weight of the evidence suggests he may have been. However, the information being publicly released by authorities seems intended and spun to intensify suspicion on Shah, rather than present a balanced picture.
And where is Shah’s wife? That she’s still missing nearly 2 weeks into this is perhaps almost as intriguing as the plane’s fate.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/03/19/4004022/missing-passenger-jet-roils-malaysian.html
· Captain Shah attended the trial of opposition leader Anwar the day before MA370 took off, and was said to be distraught at the politician's conviction for “sodomy” on apparently trumped up charges
· Captain Shah is somehow “related” (conflicting explanations) to opposition leader Anwar’s son in law.
· Captain Shah’s family disappeared the day before the plane took off, and apparently hasn’t been located
· Captain Shah made his own flight simulator at home, for purposes unknown. Some data on the simulator hard drive was erased at some point.
Ok – that’s what the Malaysian government is leading with, without actually calling Shah the hijacker/suspect. Here are some additional facts to consider, if you do a deeper dive
· Opposition leader Anwar is head of the “People’s Justice Party”, which is apparently not Islamic or otherwise radical. PJP's political platform revolves around ending economic discrimination against various ethnic groups and adopting a more “progressive”, corruption-free approach to governing. It has no history of terrorism or violence. The existing Malay government has been in power for 50 years, is very “conservative” socially, passes out political favors based on ethnicity, and has used questionable/violent approaches to suppressing opposition in the past.
· Opposition leader Anwar at first denied that he knew Shah, then admitted a few days later he was a relative. All this from behind bars? Who is granting access to Anwar, and why is this stuff dribbling out? Some claim the government is trying to smear the People’s Justice Party with allegations, and others see an cynical turn of events by Anwar attempting to milk sympathy for his cause. In any case, Captain Shah only met Anwar 1 or 2 times at most – they were not personal friends, and Shah is described as a casual PJP party member, seldom attending functions. His hot button appears to be reform and human rights, not intense party involvement. When was the last time you heard of a human rights advocate killing random civilians to make his case?
· Captain Shah’s family was indeed last seen at his home a day before Malaysian Air 370 took off. However Shah and his wife were separated, had lived apart for some time, and were apparently divorcing. The fact that the Malaysian government says it still cannot locate them is troubling, but this may or may not be true. The Malaysian government has delayed release of facts/events related to the missing plane repeatedly. In any case, Shah's daughter has lived legally in Melbourne Australia for years.
· The flight simulator in Shah’s home was well known to friends and neighbors. He used to entertain guests at parties in his home with it, like a videogame. Although its certainly possible that Shah programmed his simulator to practice landing at a remote, unmonitored airfield, where would he get the necessary telemetry and visuals/graphics to program such a simulation ? The airfields in question are unattended jungle and desert strips. And besides, doesn’t it seem probable after nearly 2 weeks that satellites and search aircraft have already examined every known airfield within range of MA370 for signs of recent activity?
None of this is intended by me to suggest that Captain Shah wasn’t complicit in the course change on MA370. The weight of the evidence suggests he may have been. However, the information being publicly released by authorities seems intended and spun to intensify suspicion on Shah, rather than present a balanced picture.
And where is Shah’s wife? That she’s still missing nearly 2 weeks into this is perhaps almost as intriguing as the plane’s fate.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/03/19/4004022/missing-passenger-jet-roils-malaysian.html
