Malaysian PM: Flight MH370 in Southern Indian Ocean

Published on Mar 25, 2014 by Luke Hunt

Seventeen days after Flight MH370 went missing, where and when the Malaysian airliner went down appears to have been resolved alongside the tragic fate of all on board. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that the plane carrying  239 people went down in the southern Indian Ocean with no survivors.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Flight 370: Malaysia's Seminal Moment

Published on Mar 15, 2014 by Luke Hunt

The disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 is a horrible tragedy but not without precedent. The aftermath of Korean Air Lines Flight 007, Pan Am Flight 103, Adam Air Flight 747, Asian Flight 214 and Air France Flight 447, among others, all held striking similarities with the missing Malaysian plane.Their causes were initially a mystery but each disaster was eventually resolved, providing a litany of potential failures to be dealt with in the future. Among them: pilot error, improper maintenance, a hijacking gone wrong, a terrorist attack, pilot suicide, unwanted military intervention, a systemic failure or a combination of the above.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Taib Mahmud’s Really Excellent Retirement

Published on Mar 7, 2014 by Luke Hunt

Luke Hunt, writing for The Diplomat, reviews Sarawak’s chief minister's decision to step down with an impressive fortune, and a barrage of legal assaults.For 33 years Taib Mahmud has ruled the East Malaysian state of Sarawak as a personal fiefdom. He has more years at the helm than perhaps any other Southeast Asian leader, longer even than Hun Sen, who has ruled as prime minister of Cambodia for the most part since 1985.In the process, Taib – known as Pak Uban or the “white haired uncle” – and his family have amassed a fortune worth $20 billion or more, and established business tentacles through 400 companies into the tiniest reaches of the state and around the world that will ensure his....

Indonesia Boycotts Singapore Airshow

Published on Feb 13, 2014 by Luke Hunt

The word is Indonesian officials have “skipped” the Singapore Airshow but the reality is Jakarta has initiated a boycott as tensions between the two countries are again exacerbated, this time after the Indonesians named a naval ship after two marines who planted bombs on the island state.Read more from Luke Hunt at The Diplomat..

Old Malaysian Issues Are New, Again

Published on Feb 6, 2014 by Luke Hunt

Malaysia’s inability to settle longstanding issues that go to the core of the country’s make-up, following last year’s controversial election, is leading to a fresh crisis within a government found badly wanting over its ability to deal with race and creed, the economy and leadership of the country.Central to the latest bout of unrest is former autocratic Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. His persistent dabbling in politics and his own United Malays National Organization (UMNO) through firebrand Islamic nationalists has sullied relations within his own ranks.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..