~8 March 2014 (Saturday), sometime around 8am in the morning~
As I was browsing through my Facebook news feed like I have always did every single morning, one particular update caught my eye. One that I certainly didn't expect to happen. One that actually sent chills down to the very core of my spine.
Sepang, 8 March 2014: Malaysia Airlines confirms that flight MH370 has lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 2.40am, today (8 March 2014).
Malaysia Airlines Fight MH370 operated on a Boeing 777-2H6/ER (reg.: 9M-MRO) bound to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur at 12:41am has lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 2.40am. The flight which was scheduled to reach Beijing at 6.30am didn't reach its destination.
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| What's heading Malaysia Airlines' Facebook page at the moment apparently as a part of their social media outreach SOP in information dissemination in time of incident/distress/tragedy. Definitely one of those SOP you didn't wish to happen and do in anyway...but inevitably it did happen. |
As the realization sets in with every news outlet as well as social media users both within Malaysia and across the globe caught wind of the incident, Malaysia Airlines page is immediately inundated with endless stream of prayers wishing for the safety and well being of MH370 and all their 239 passengers + crews (complete of course with a #PrayforMH370 hashtag) which is the appropriate action for anyone in time of tragedy.
However...there's always THAT particular section of social media users. Those irresponsible, irksome, heartless, nauseating section of the social media users which are painfully out of touch with the gravity of the incident. Those who spread unverified rumours around (the earliest one being the plane has made emergency landing at Nanning, China. It didn't, says China Civil Aviation Authority and the plane has not even entered Chinese airspace when it lost contact) whether in a desperate but ultimately futile attempt in clinging on to any figment of hope or just plain malicious in spreading lies. Those who thinks Malaysia Airlines has lied or doing a media blackout for not confirming it's a crash. Those who thinks that this is God's wrath/musibah/ujian towards whatever "injustice" that's going on in Malaysia. Those who thinks this is all a part of the conspiracy to divert the public's attention from THAT court verdict of THAT politician. Those who dabbles in speculation as self-appointed armchair critics about what causes the incident. Those who unleashes their poisonous drivel while hiding behind the anonymity of a fake account.
Yes, THOSE of you.
Have you ever stop for a moment before mashing on your fucking keyboard to give a thought about the families of all the 227 passengers coming from various nationalities on board MH370? All the Malaysia Airlines crews and personnels equally concerned about the well being of their 12 colleagues on board? Their anxiety, their consternation, their anguish, their remorse, their grief, any of their emotions and feelings?
Do you think they have expected this to happen? Do you think they (or all of us for that matter) ever wanted this to happen?
Do you even care?
Malaysia Airlines cannot make any concrete assertions in their statement simply because they HAVE TO wait until any of the search and rescue team found any concrete and verified evidence of MH370's fate. You say it's in the news, but 24 hour rolling news being as they are means that they have to fill every single of their awkward idle minutes with anything from any angles complete with any talking heads remotely relevant regardless of their veracity (so long as they put the tag "unofficial sources said" or "unverified information said") complete with dramatic footage of reporters crowding the anguishing families which does nothing but to perpetuate further confusion among already confused and misinformed "public". Everyone in Malaysia Airlines, Civil Aviation Department as well as members of multinational search and rescue team are trying their best to make clear of the situation as minute goes on so WHY MUST YOU BE MUCKING ABOUT, YOU CUNT?!
The only thing we can (and should) do is wait for the official verification from Malaysia Airlines and in the mean time be better informed of the situation and other relevant background knowledge (like the one about Air France Flight AF447.) Simply put, shut the fuck up if you have nothing better to say.
In the meantime, I reserve my final comment until the event unfolds completely and confirmed.
*And then...(Not Quite) Final Comment:
There is/are no god/s, only a missing airliner with 239 souls onboard confirmed lost. Based on the latest satellite tracking and projection, it has been officially announced at 10:00pm GMT+8 that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 B777 (9M-MRO) airliner is "assumed to be lost beyond reasonable doubt" with final location of plane ended over southern Indian Ocean, one of the remotest part of the globe beyond reaches of safety. A tragic end to 17 days of trepidation, dimming whatever tiny glimmer of hope left for the anguishing families of everyone onboard the tragic flight.
The few things left for this tragedy of such magnitude is to hope for the black box as well as any signs of the wreckage to be found as soon as possible to provide closure for everyone after prolonged suspense and anguish as well as to shed some light on why the ill-fated airliner ventured off course all the way to southern Indian Ocean. Meanwhile, extensive inquiry and revamp towards civil aviation safety of all level is to be forthcoming to rectify whichever security risks that may have existed within the current system and reduce them further to their absolute minimum implementing even more stringent safety and security measures.
Last but not least,
To the conspiracy theorists: remove your tinfoil hat and shove it down whichever orifices you have. Go make Darwin proud by chlorinating yourself from the gene pool.
To the sanctimonious pseudo-pious who see this as god's punishment (you know, the like of Ridhuan Tee Abdullah): Happy now? Your god is a trigger happy, vengeful, demanding, selfish asshole who enjoy seeing death rather than hope.
To the political scaremongers who questioned about the timing of announcement being right after that by-election: ever heard of coincidence? Your Dear Leader/Generalissimo/Ketua Umum doesn't deserve the death of 239 people. Ever.
To rolling news who desperately projecting news out of nowhere to the point of stupidity: now that the plane is confirmed kaput, can y'all report on actual NEWS for once? No more stupid shaman, no more grand ma "spotting" plane in the sea, no more crowding anguishing families with flashes and lenses, no more BULLOCKS to fill your dullard screen time for once?
To social media users who just can't help but click share misleading news and information: chop off your fingers and get yourself a lobotomy. Make a status that is useful or a very least, harmless, like mourning the loss NOW.
There is/are no god/gods, only the lost of an airliner and 239 souls onboard. #rememberingMH370.
Epilogue: We now return to our regular scheduled (or lack thereof) updates. For once, a rare post about what I think about a current event.
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