Thailand’s is just the latest government to throw a bone to media news hounds by announcing that its satellite has spotted debris that could be wreckage from the missing Flight MH 370.
But am I the only one who thinks these governments are more interested in bragging about the capability of their satellites to spot debris in the Indian Ocean all the way from space, to say nothing of their interest in the international press coverage their announcements command, than in sharing any information that could actually solve this mystery?
They’re like governments that invariably eat up media attention and bask in public goodwill by pledging millions for rebuilding after natural disasters, like the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, knowing full well that they have no intention of ever honoring their pledge.
And what, pray tell, are we to make of the fact that, since these governments began raising (false) hopes with satellite images of hundreds of pieces of debris three weeks ago, no spotter airplane or search and recovery ship has been able to find, let alone recover, a single piece?
Not to mention the likelihood that, instead of “debris” from Flight MH 370, these satellites are merely spotting trash from the notorious Indian garbage patch that has been floating around for years; or even from tsunamis that hit Indonesia in 2010 and Japan in 2011.
Meanwhile, the media are reacting to every sighting as if they’re participating in the biggest and most exciting Easter egg hunt in history.
We’re committed to providing up-to-the-minute information on this story, er, even when there’s no up-to-the-minute information.
(BBC Global, March 20, 2014)
Frankly, search and rescue/recovery efforts are turning the tragedy of this missing flight into an international farce!
Related commentaries:
Flight MH 370 ‘lost’