No idea why ‘Double Six tragedy’ report classified under OSA, says Loke

 

Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said the report was probably classified because it was standard procedure then. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said he is unable to provide a reason as to why the report on the “Double Six tragedy” was classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) for the last 47 years.

He said the report was probably classified because it was “standard procedure” to do so for such reports in the past.

“I don’t know for sure and cannot answer why on behalf of the then government,” he told reporters at a press conference today.

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Loke said the Cabinet had decided to release the report as the families of the deceased victims were entitled to know the facts behind the 1976 plane crash that claimed the lives of then Sabah chief minister Fuad Stephens and 10 others.

He also said the Australian government was ready to release its own report on the incident, adding that Putrajaya would not object to this.

“It is up to the Australian government when to release the report. We previously communicated with them that once we release our report, there would be no issue for them to release their report from their side,” he said.

In the incident, Fuad, who had been sworn in as the chief minister just 53 days earlier, died along with 10 others, including state ministers, when the GAF Nomad aircraft they were in crashed in Sembulan, Kota Kinabalu.

Following the incident, the Australian GAF Nomad manufacturer and the Australian department of transport launched an investigation to prove that the crash was not due to mechanical issues.

The investigation was completed some four months later, but the full report was not made public. Instead, it was classified under the OSA.

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The declassified report released by Putrajaya yesterday was prepared by the civil aviation department, the Royal Malaysian Air Force and the Australian transport department.

The report said there was no evidence that sabotage, fire or an explosion had caused the plane crash.

Instead, it said, the probable cause was “a centre of gravity position well outside the aft limit, which caused the control column to run out of forward range on the final approach to land”. - FMT