Nizar’s ‘new Bermuda Triangle’ tweet ‘insensitive’, ‘shameful’, say netizens
Former Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin was slammed on Twitter today for suggesting that there is a new Bermuda Triangle in Vietnamese waters when commenting on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
The Changkat Jering state assemblyman had tweeted: "New bermuda triangle detected in vietnam waters, well-equipped sophisticated devices are of bo use" at around noon today, as Malaysia and the international community brace themselves for the worst following the disappearance of the plane this morning.
The Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight never reached its destination in China, where it was scheduled to land at 6.30am. It had gone off the radar in Vietnamese airspace in the Ca Mau province.
The B777-200 aircraft had left Kuala Lumpur with 227 passengers, comprising 14 nationalities, and 12 crew members at 12.41am.
The Vietnamese navy earlier was reported as saying that flight MH370 might have crashed into the sea off Tho Chu island but the Malaysian government is still trying to verify the reports.
Nizar's tweet did not go down well with other Twitter users who felt that he was being insensitive.
A Twitter user Adrian Ng replied to Nizar's tweet and asked if he thought it was funny.
Another user known as "not typical" (@JustinTWJ) simply tweeted "bodohnya" (how stupid).
A tweet by one user, Razaisyam Rashid read: "You making a joke at a time like this is idiotic".
Another user Imri Nasution wrote: "I was ashamed when I saw your tweet. Sorry but it does not seem to be the time to joke about the #mh370."
Nizar's tweet was also retweeted over 180 times, as devastated family members of the passengers await news on the missing aircraft and well-wishers across the globe offer prayers.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian navy, air force and army have been mobilised to conduct search and rescue operations.
Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said a C-130 Hercules had also been deployed to assist in locating the missing B777-200 aircraft.
The Philippines said it was also sending three navy patrol boats and a surveillance plane to help in search and rescue efforts. – March 8, 2014.