Ladies and Gentlemen of the press...

Thank you for coming here today and attending our press conference of The Families of SilkAir MI 185 Association

Our reason for inviting you here today is quite simple. That being to give you an update on the status of the SilkAir MI 185 airline crash of 19th December 1997 from the point of view of the families who lost someone dear to them on that fateful day.

During the last six or seven months since the first anniversary, numerous members of the media have shown a close interest in the SilkAir disaster as can be seen by the significant amount of written articles that have appeared in both the local and international media. In addition, quite a few of us have been contacted a number of times to comment on firstly, the actions taken by SilkAir and also with regards our thoughts on the status of the ongoing crash investigation. We thank you for this interest as it will ensure that our loved ones will be remembered and hopefully one day ensure that the reasons for the crash are made known.

Accordingly, we felt it appropriate to let you know in one single forum such as today's event, what exactly our thoughts are on the current status and what exactly our plans are for the future.

We will off course be happy to take any questions you may have but prior to this, we would like to explain the present status as regards the Families of SilkAir MI 185 Association.

Firstly, our formation....

As you may know, a small adhoc group of family members in the immediate aftermath of the crash, came together to work on numerous things, one of which was the memorial site that was erected in Choa Chu Kang Cemetery and many other issues that involved contact and liaison with the management of SilkAir. Following the successful Memorial Dedication ceremony on 6th December 1998, the role of the adhoc group diminished.

However we got together again following the announcements by SilkAir at a Press Conference organised by SilkAir in late January 1999. A number of comments made at that press conference made us realise that we needed to do more to ensure that cause of the crash is found and announced to the public.

Therefore, we decided as a group that it was necessary to continue working as a group and accordingly, to cut a long story short, the formation of a society " The Families of Silk Air MI 185 Association" has been recently been officially registered with the Registrar of Societies here in Singapore. The Families of Silk Air MI 185 Association currently represents about 60 families of the victims who were killed. This comprises or includes families in New Zealand, France, USA, Malaysia amongst others....

Why have we formed this Society or Association, I am sure you will ask... Well, it is quite simple...The Families of SilkAir MI 185 Association has a number of goals and objectives. The goals and objectives are as follows.

1. To provide moral support and encouragement to family members of the SilkAir MI 185 crash victims.

2. To ensure that any and all crash investigations pertaining to SilkAir MI 185 is comprehensive and ongoing until the reasons for the crash are known and announced to the public.

3. To promote aviation safety generally.

You will note that the group or society is not interested in becoming involved in the matter of compensation. We would like to reiterate that the matter of compensation is a personal matter and the subject should be treated with the respect and privacy that it deserves. Each family should be left alone to decide whether to accept the latest SilkAir offer or not based on their own personal needs. Naturally, they are taking legal advice on this as well, as you would expect. However, irrespective of whether compensation offers are accepted, we still all have the desire to know what caused the Crash of SilkAir Flight MI 185 and what led to the death of our family members.

I would like to go back to our goals and objectives and expand a little further if I may.

Goal Number 1 with regards offering moral support and encouragement is quite simply that, we have found since the death of our loved ones, we are all basically experiencing the same difficulties. Whether it be dealing with the complexities of the many legal necessities required to process a letter of administration, or of the many other things we all have to deal with as a result of the death of a family member. Sharing experiences has proven to be invaluable to all of us.

Additionally and not surprisingly, we have all in some way or another experienced emotional difficulties and have found that by meeting regularly, we have been able to offer support to each other in ways that only, perhaps we will understand. Out of adversity, we have all made new friends.

Goal Number 2 with regards ensuring that the crash investigation is ongoing. You are all well aware that the crash investigation and results announced by Professor Oetarjo Diran are far from satisfactory. No conclusions have been drawn other than to announce that they have eliminated bad weather, terrorism, hazardous materials, air traffic control and maintenance as the possible causes.

Investigations continue on the Human Factor aspects as Professor Diran calls it and Engineering and Systems and other potential aircraft or aircraft systems anomalies that could have precipitated a loss of control. In his update of 25th May 99, he tells us that that background information on the cockpit crew has now been obtained (after 18 months. !!) and investigation on engineering systems continue as they compare data collected from the SilkAir accident with other Boeing 737 accidents and incidents. By this, we believe he is referring to uncommanded rudder movements which have recently has been found to be the cause of two other Boeing 737 incidents. Namely the Colorado Springs and Pittsberg incidents.

Further, he adds that the AAIC has not arrived at any definitive conclusion other than those mentioned in his report issued in March of this year.

Naturally, we all wish to know the cause of the crash. Aircraft do not simply fall out of the sky from 35,000 feet and hit the ground approximately one minute later. To say the least, this is an unusual incident and hopefully one that will not repeat itself.

The families of SilkAir MI 185 are very concerned about the quality of the crash investigation. We understand that crash investigations take time, this we accept. However, we are not prepared to accept the apparent veil of silence which seems to surround the results and facts from completed parts of the investigation.

As you may know, Professor Diran has conducted two briefings to the families in 1998. The last of which was 18th December 1998. Whilst we appreciate Professor Diran taking the time to visit Singapore to speak to us, we were or are most disturbed with the quality of information released at these briefings.

In addition, we are concerned that the economic and social problems being experienced in Indonesia are seriously hampering the quality of the crash investigation. Professor Diran has been quoted by various media as having resources problems due to a lack of sufficient funding and is known to be using students to assist with the investigation, presumably as they work for less. These facts do not inspire us with any sense of confidence that the crash investigation has been and continues to be run properly.

Our third Goal with regards the promotion of aviation safety is self explanatory. If we are able to ensure the results or reasons for the crash are established, we hope to prevent a crash for the same reasons occurring again, It is that simple. If the cause is made known, those parties responsible will have to take the necessary steps to improve the deficiencies that obviously exist. We believe the public at large will whole heartedly give their backing to us as we have their interests as well as our own at heart. Everyone who travels by air will feel that little bit safer knowing that our efforts will have lessened the risk of an accident.

At this point, we would also like to raise a number of concerns that we feel desire some attention.

We recently met with Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Communications. Dr Yaacob was referred to us as a result of our request for an audience with the Prime minister of Singapore. Sadly, the Prime Ministers busy schedule did not allow us to meet with him. Accordingly we met with Dr Yaacob Ibrahim. At this meeting, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim assured us of the Prime Ministers and the governments ongoing commitment and support to the crash investigation and he further assured us, that whatever the results of the investigation. The cause when announced by the Indonesian authorities would indeed be made public.

At the meeting we reiterated our concerns and these are to be frank, that we are extremely frustrated by the lack of official information being given to the families or surviving relatives. We basically have had to rely on articles appearing in the media both locally and internationally to find out anything of substance. And, to be honest, some articles that have appeared in the international media recently are to say the least, very disturbing and have created extreme distress for the families of those killed. Given the nature and content of some of these articles, we are surprised at the lack of defense or response offered by the airline. We feel it appropriate that the airline respond to the alleged facts as reported, to firstly dispel rumours and secondly, to protect the reputation of the airline and the
Singapore Aviation industry as a whole.

On this aspect, we would like to request the parties involved such as CAAS and or the airline itself to release all relevant information and facts related to the allegations made. Although we understand the ICAO regulations or guidelines regarding release of information during and investigation, we do not feel that those regulations prevent any party from defending itself against accusatory reports and articles. It is particularly important to note that many of the accusations made in these reports can be supported OR dispelled by the information in the hands of the airline itself. It has ownership of this information! We strongly believe that these parties have to become proactive on this matter immediately, to protect not only the mental well-being of the families but more so to protect the reputation and credibility of the airline and country itself.

Another concerns relates to the quality of and lack of information. We feel that Professor Diran and the investigative body should be more forthcoming with factual information. In his own words, an investigation basically takes the form of a trial by elimination. In other words, prove what it was not and narrow it down to a cause ultimately. Isn't it time to announce more of what it was not even if he is unable to announce the cause at this time.

In discussions with all relevant parties and when requesting information, we have had the same standard response. This being that the Investigation is being conducted in accordance with the guidelines as set by the ICAO and that release of information to families of victims is basically not required. Unfortunately, this is true as the ICAO guidelines for Crash Incident investigations does say this, although not in those words exactly.

In this case, we feel that the ICAO guidelines need amending and improvements. They do not adequately take the feelings of the families of those killed in to consideration at all. We feel it appropriate thet the ICAO consider our request and we would be happy to meet with ICAO representatives to discuss this further. In addition, we are sure that there are many other Family Associations formed as result of other airline disasters out there, who would support us in this quest. There are too many to mention now but, we are sure the Families of Swissair Flight 111 and TWA 800 amongst many others will agree and support what we are saying. We know as we are in touch with them.

However, to be fair other crash investigations have certainly been more forthcoming with information that in our own SilkAir case and we would request Professor Diran again to release more information to us. The ICAO guidelines basically allow him to release information as and when he sees fit. We have been reliably informed that the NTSB in the USA who are assisting with the investigation have requested for facts to be released. Despite these requests by the NTSB made to him to release information, Professor Diran has up to now, not allowed release of information. Professor Diran, we would like to know why ?? We think or believe we are entitled to know.

One other request made to Dr Yaacob Ibrahim was that we feel the accident deserves an independent commission or enquiry to be put in place by the government of Singapore. We recognise that this commission of enquiry cannot investigate the aircraft engineering and other systems part of the investigation, but certainly recent reports in the international media we believe, warrant further investigation.

To conclude, we are basically asking that all possible resources be made available to bring this crash investigation to a speedy conclusion. Thereby once again giving the whole investigative process some credibility. We trust that those international agencies such as the FAA and the NTSB of the USA and BASI of Australia and others who are currently assisting or have assisted in the investigation please continue to assist and ensure that the findings are announced in a most prompt fashion.

With regards release of facts now. We would request that the content of the Cockpit Voice Recorder, the Flight Data Recorder and Radar Tapes be released as soon as possible. According to Professor Diran there is nothing on The Cockpit Voice Recorder except normal chit chat...If this is the case, why not release the transcript now. Further we would request that the results of the Flight Simulation tests conducted at Boeing and in Singapore be released. Even if this is just to confirm the flight profile during the latter minutes of the flight and tell us what it was not that caused the crash. In addition we would request a list of all wreckage that has been examined to date with conclusions drawn from the examination. We refer of course to Professor Diran's trial by elimination process....Tell us what it was not please Professor Diran if you are not able to tell us what it was...


So what next.....

Our support programme is an ongoing process where we offer each other comfort and support through meetings amongst the families. There are also smaller sub groups that meet regularly.

With regards ensuring the quality of the crash investigation, We thank The Prime Minister of Singapore for his words of assurance made via Dr Yaacob Ibrahim and we are to assume that he has been made aware of our numerous concerns as expressed to Dr Yaacob Ibrahim. We understand that ultimately the investigation is in the hands of Professor Diran and the AAIC but if the Singapore Government and other international bodies such as the NTSB of the USA and BASI of Australia can continue to offer their resources, we thank them.. We also look forward to an appropriate response from the government on the points raised by the families during the meeting with Dr Yaacob Ibrahim.

A number of British Families have been in contact with their respective MP's in the UK and we can advise you that a letter has recently been sent to the Governments of both Indonesia and Singapore with regards the status of the investigation by the British Foreign Office. We hope to hear some word on what the response has been soon.

An area of concern particularly for the families living outside of Singapore, is the lack of information. They feel isolated, alone and cut off from all that is going on. For this reason, we will be issuing regular news updates about the status of any and all news pertaining to the SilkAir MI 185 crash and sending to all families throughout the world.

In addition, we have our own Families of SilkAir MI 185 web site that will also serve as a way of keeping everyone involved up to date on all news that we are able to gain access to.

In summary, we would like to reiterate the families stance: We would like to request the relevant parties to accede to the following:

* To release information/facts pertaining to the allegations made by foreign media.

* To conduct an independent Commission of Enquiry to determine at least the Human Factor aspect of the investigation.

* To request that those involved in the investigation release more details of the investigation process at more regular intervals. Without such transparency, we feel it would not be possible for anyone to determine whether or not real progress is being made in the investigation.

* The ICAO to look into enhancing its guidelines to take into account the feelings and emotional needs of the families of the deceased.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, this is where The Families of SilkAir MI 185 Association stands at present. Naturally, we hope to be able to report some positive progress as we move forward and on the results of our endeavours. We will do our utmost to keep you well informed of what we are doing and please feel free to contact any of us should you have any questions at any time in the future.

Thank you again for attending today and in closing..are there any questions that you may have which we will do our best to answer. Thank you.