MH 370 and observations on a Guardian Article
The article by Jon Ronson here: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/28/flight-mh370-malaysia-missing-one-year-on-jon-ronson?CMP=fb_gu#comment-48217200
1. A lot of words to tell us what? That
these people, despite their efforts and personal loss, they have
discovered virtually nothing of substance, and know no more now than
when the plane initially disappeared? From the article it is
difficult to gain anything of substance and it merely concentrates on
human attitudes and feelings, which advances the inquiry not at all.
The video, despite being well intentioned, is emotive and
uninformative. The crowd funding target of five million dollars
appeared fanciful and proved so to be. Even so, there is no
indication whether the $100,000 actually raised was used effectively.
Employing private investigators with the money actually raised? Where
is the report of their discoveries or was the money completely
wasted? And the Chinese relatives not interested? That would appear
an insensitive and inaccurate assessment particularly in the light of
reports that the Chinese Government took active steps to stop
demonstrations and protests demanding more information.
2. I find the persona and actions of at
least one of the subjects very troubling and not only because he
shares the name of the "Mission Impossible" character
played by Tom Cruise in the Hollywood film of that name. "Ethan
Matthew Hunt (born August 18, 1964) is a senior field operations
agent for the IMF, an elite, top-secret espionage and covert
operations agency that handles dangerous and highly sensitive
international missions that have been deemed "impossible"."
(Wikia) Should we regard this as a curious co-incidence, or a rather
sick joke on those who have lost family and friends. Jon Ronson might
at least have got to the bottom of that mystery within the far
greater one, but no, we are left wondering about that as well.
3. As if this was not reason enough to
be wary of "Mr Ethan Hunt", there are other troubling
questions revealed, but not questioned, in the article. What sort of
successful businessman would expect to raise $5 million by "crowd
funding", and this without any clear strategy or safeguards to
prevent its misuse? We learn Mr Hunt describes himself as an
'experienced private investigator' but to this we must also add 'time
in the military, manager of fitness centres and someone who had run
software companies." He currently owns a 3D printer business in
China itself, which 'sometimes employs a hundred workers'.
4. Apart from the incongruent nature of
these skills and activities, there is no attempt to explain how he
came to be in China or the Chinese Government's attitude to him,
which appears to include acting as debt collector using very
questionable and invasive tactics. Does he really have the Chinese
police in his pocket as the article suggests? At least Mr Ronson
could have done us the favour of looking into these claims and
throwing some light on them, particularly his precise role in the
military and whether the other claims hold up under scrutiny. This is
not merely academic given his central role in a rather dubious
organisation that apparently has revealed nothing more than what was
printed in the press.
5. Then there are other rather strange
co-incidences and indicators surrounding this gentleman: he just
happened to be on a flight from Dubai to Paris at the time. Given the
well-know reputation of these places, it would have been helpful to
know precisely why he was in both at the time. Was it in connection
with managing fitness centres, software companies or his 3 D printing
business? Or was he in his 'private investigator' mode? Or was he
just having a two-centre city break?
6. Then there is the fact that he is an
Australian from Perth and that this country and this city were both
to become high profile actors in the subsequent events. It would have
been helpful to have been told if the connection was an historic and
disconnected one, or if indeed it was still very active and close, or
if he was still employed in any capacity by the Australian
Government, which we have all noted has taken a much higher profile
in terrorist matters generally of late.
7. Then there is the fact that he
operates in China to which the doomed plane was heading, and in an
area of computer technology for which at least twenty of the
passengers worked. Does this not raise a few questions in the mind of
the journalist that he could have posed to Mr Hunt?
8. Despite Sarah Bajc being all over
the news, and his own determination to help her, it takes him eight
weeks to do so - hardly the sign of a 'highly skilled investigator'.
When he does eventually speak to her he says 'I strongly believe that
the truth is not out there.” Note, NOT out there. What he really
meant by this is never explained.
9. Then there are other comments that
ring alarm bells (in my mind at least) beginning with the fact that
he watched CNN all day in his Paris hotel. What only CNN? This might
appear unusual in an investigator seeking the truth from all angles
or was he only interested in just one? Then there is this little
passage '“She couldn’t run away. She knew I could go there at any
time. With people. That’s what they do in China. They take 10
people and go and beat you or steal things. I used that mentality.
I’ve done it a few times and it works perfectly.” “It sounds
like this is fun for you,” I say. “Yeah, absolutely,” he says.
“China is a bit like the wild west. Seriously.”'
10. Apart from the fact that the
Chinese Government was apparently allowing him free reign to harass
its citizens, it rather indicates his heavy arm tactics. Indeed later
in the article he's quoted as saying: “I won’t back away from a
fight. I don’t mean a fisty-punchy fight. I’m very skilled at
hitting people and I know when I hit them, they’re going to get
hurt. I don’t like that.” It certainly indicates a certain
attitude and skill-set not normally associated with 4D printing. This
is reinforced by a reported second incident in which the suggestion
is made he threatened women and children to get a public retraction
and apology.
11. Lastly, it would appear he has two
targets for his tensioned bow: one, an unreliable and secretive
Malaysian Government; and two, the suggestion some would regard as
quite irrational and extreme, that President Putin of Russia was
somehow implicated by virtue of the fact that MH17 was also shot
down, significantly failing to mention this was almost certainly by
the Ukraine/West NOT Russia or the separatists. He says, “Putin is
seriously trying to provoke the west into going to war with him. For
him a war would be fantastic.”
12. We cannot but fail to notice that
both these lines are straight out of the current
American/Israeli/European propaganda text book. That he should
channel both is more than a little worrying given that his profile,
attitude and business all suspiciously fit the traditional model of
an agent, even if in fact he isn't.
13. Before leaving the subject and
article, perhaps we might note that if the loss of the plane was a
clandestine government or terrorist operation, it might be very
useful to have an internet campaign purporting to be privately
investigating the circumstances, seeking cash and information from
any quarter. What better way would there be to ascertain leaks in
security or individuals that might pose a risk to a sophisticated
hi-jack and cover-up? If Mr Hunt's efforts are all there is to
justify the campaign, and the contents of the article its only
results, more searching questions should be posed as to the lines of
enquiry followed and the true purpose of it. As an uninformed and
useless investigator, even I might have begun by accurately
documenting the detailed reports of a plane flying low over the
Maldives, which to date no one appears to have done!END.
