Ship in race to find MH370’s black box

A black box locator is about to be sent out on an Australian navy ship in search of the missing MH370 plane.

THE Australian Navy ship given the job of finding the black box recorder of Malaysia Airlines flight 370 is preparing to leave Perth with still no clue as to the missing plane's whereabouts.

But it could potentially have a longer window to track down the black box in the vast expanses of the Indian Ocean than had been feared.

The Ocean Shield, which leaves Perth tomorrow on an initial 30-day mission, has been fitted with US Navy equipment designed to electronically hunt for the box, including a towed pinger locator and unmanned underwater drone.

■ ROLLING COVERAGE: Search continues for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

With the ship not likely to reach the search zone west of Perth for several days, it had been feared the 30-day life of the satellite ``pinger'' within the black box could expire before the equipment arrived.

But Captain Mark Matthews, the US Navy supervisor of salvage and diving, revealed today that while the pinger is certified for 30 days, it could last for up to another 15 days.

The Australian Navy ship Ocean Shield, at Stirling Naval Base today, is set to leave Perth tomorrow to join the hunt for MH370.Picture: Bohdan Warchomij

That gives authorities more precious time to find the box, which should provide crucial clues as to the fate of MH370 and its 239 passengers and crew.

``These are rated to last 30 days, but that is a minimum. In my experience they do last a little bit longer than that,'' Capt Matthews said.

``I would say 45 days is the realistic limited expectation.''

The towed pinger locater on the Ocean Shield has a range of 1.6km and depth capability up to 6000m, with the search set to be conducted at a speed of just 5km/h.

An unmanned underwater drone will also be on board, ready to dive once the pinger locater has found a signal to map the sea floor and photograph potential debris there.

US Captain Mark Matthews in change of the pinger device at Stirling Naval Base. Picture: Bohdan Warchomij

As 10 planes and eight ships descended on the search zone on Sunday, there was still no confirmation of any debris from MH370 being found.

Captain Matthews said without solid proof of the crash, they would not be able to begin to search for the black box.

``We don't have a defined search area yet. We have our challenges in front of us,'' he said.

In the meantime, the crew, along with Australian and Chinese ships, would join the surface search for debris.

Also on Sunday, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced former Defence Force chief Angus Houston would lead a new joint agency co-ordination centre in Perth that would communicate with all international search partners and the families of those on the missing plane.

US Captain Mark Matthews who is in change of the pinger device at Stirling Naval Base where the Ocean Shield is being prepared to leave to search for MH370's black box. Picture: Bohdan Warchomij

``Should our responsibilities increase as time goes by, there is no one better placed than Angus to co-ordinate and liaise given the quite significant number of countries that all have a stake in this search,'' Mr Abbott said.

Australian Navy Commodore Peter Leavy said the aim was still to locate debris and confirm it was from flight 370, then to work backwards to a possible crash site.

Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs said the best people in the field were now involved in the search.

``It is a significant co-ordination challenge which is proceeding extremely well. These are an exceptionally talented group of people,'' Admiral Griggs said.peOcean Shield will leave the naval base at Garden Island south of Perth with enough supplies for 45 days before having to return to shore.

Flight 370 disappeared on March 8 after veering sharply off course while heading from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The black box pinger that those aboard the Ocean Shield are hoping will lead them to the wreckage of MH370. Picture: Bohdan Warchomij

'SEARCH ZONE THE SIZE OF VICTORIA'

Recovering Flight MH370 debris from a search area the size of Victoria is "critical" to finding the black box flight recorder before its locator ping fades away, the officer in charge of the sea and air mission said.

Commodore Peter Leavy, commander of Joint Task Force 658, said the black box's beacon locator – which emits a high frequency ping noise every second – is certified to last another nine days.

Ocean Shield Captain Nicholas Woods at Stirling Naval Base. Picture: Bohdan Warchomij

It's hoped the battery may last "a little while longer" than April 7 — next Monday — but search crews are in a race against clock before the beacon runs flat and its signal stops.

Commodore Leavy said finding the black box, which records flight data and voices in the cockpit, was crucial to helping air crash investigators determine what caused the Malaysia Airlines aircraft to veer off course and crash in the southern Indian Ocean.

"In the circumstances that we are facing here, if the black box is recovered and the data is salvageable, I think that will be a very, very important part of the analysis of the subsequent investigation," he said.

Commodore Leavy said the "unprecedented" multinational mission was searching an area the size of the state of Victoria in "extreme" ocean conditions.

He said it was "critical" debris from the Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight was confirmed to help investigators pinpoint where the jet crashed.

Commodore Peter Leavy, commander of the Joint Task Force 658, said the black box's beacon locator is certified to last another nine days. Picture: Stewart Allen

Only when a location is identified, using modelling to estimate how far the debris drifted, can a US Navy device designed to find black boxes be effective.

Australian Defence patrol vessel Ocean Shield docked last night at HMAS Stirling naval base on Garden Island, south of Perth, to join the search.

It was today fitted with a Towed Ping Locator and Bluefin-21 underwater drone which uses sonar to scan the sea floor for signs of wreckage.

Ocean Shield is expected to set sail tomorrow and take two to three days to reach the search zone, 1850km west of Perth, depending on the weather.

It means the crew and air crash investigators would likely arrive at the search zone on Thursday or Friday, just three or four days before the ping is due to start fading.

Royal Australia Air Force crew at RAAF Base Pearce in Bullsbrook unload an Australian Sea Hawk helicopter to join a Royal Australian Navy ship to search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean, on March 28, 2014. Picture: AFP

The pinger locator, which has a reach of about 2km, is towed underwater at a "very slow" two to three knots (5kmp/h) and covers less than 150 square kilometres a day.

"The critical focus at this juncture is to find debris and as much of it as we can. If it is confirmed to be from the aircraft that will enable a much greater refinement of the impact point," Commodore Leavy said.

"Having as accurate a start point as we can for our pinger search is critical."

HMAS Toowoomba yesterday reloaded at Garden Island after it was retasked to the MH370 search from Operation Sovereign Border duties in Darwin.

Five specialist divers, as well as a Sea Hawk helicopter, joined the frigate's 180-strong crew to search for floating debris. HMAS Toowoomba should reach the search zone tomorrow.

Warship HMAS Toowoomba docking at Garden Island before joining search for MH370 debris. Picture: Stewart Allen Source: News Limited

Christopher Johnson, of the US Naval Sea Systems Command, confirmed the pinger locator won't be deployed until there was a higher confidence about where MH370 went down.

Dr Alec Duncan, an expert in underwater acoustics at Curtin University, added: "They've got to find stuff on the surface first – until they do that there's really no point trying to look underwater."

Dr Duncan said they would need to get as close as possible to the beacon to limit other background noises, such as whales, masking the ping.

"The ocean's actually a very noisy place," he said. "It depends largely on weather conditions as to how much background noise there is. The calmer it is, the less there will be."

Dr Duncan said if the aircraft fuselage remains intact on the sea floor then other sonar systems, such as the Bluefin-21, could be more effective as they have a greater range.

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Get used to it, congestion here to stay

New Transport Minister Dean Nalder says West Australians need to get used to gridlock in the Perth CBD Source: News Limited

NEW Transport Minister Dean Nalder says West Australians need to get used to crawling traffic in the Perth CBD because it's going to be there for "a long period of time".

Mr Nalder said there were limits to what the State Government could do to combat traffic congestion.

"I've actually lived in other cities in Australia, particularly Sydney, where I have experienced the level of congestion that exists there, so it is not a phenomenon that is just for Western Australia," he told The Sunday Times.

"We're not used to it. Whereas if you travel to Sydney, people are used to it so they do prepare and plan."

Mr Nalder, who was sworn in as Transport and Finance Minister earlier this month following the resignation of Troy Buswell, said it could take Sydney residents up to two hours to cross the CBD.

News Perth City congestion . Traffic at the on the Freeways at 5:26pm

"We'll do our bit, but there are limitations to what any government can do," he said.

"You can't keep doubling the size of the freeway."

In January, the Government launched a smart phone app to help motorists to avoid traffic hot spots. Mr Nalder said the Right Move Perth app would be expanded soon to also help drivers easily find vacant car parks across the city.

"A lot of people get caught up on the big projects – and they're exciting and they're important – but we need to look at a multiple number of levels with regard to transport solutions," he said.

"One of the problems people have at the moment is you go into (the city) and you start looking for a car park and you travel around everywhere.

"We'd love to see data fed in that allows people to quickly see on Right Move where parking spots are available."

Mr Nalder also called on drivers to do their bit to ease congestion by planning their journeys better. "At the end of the day, government has a role to play but it's a lot broader than that," he said.

"Government is a reflection of the community so we need the community to take some responsibility.

"We have a population that's heading towards 3.5 million over the next 30-40 years and if you travel the world and you get to cities with 3.5 million to 4 million people they have congestion."

The Opposition's transport spokesman Ken Travers said a fast, reliable public transport was needed to ease Perth's traffic congestion.

"That's the bit that the (Barnett Government) don't get and that's the bit that they're not doing," he said.

"What this Government has continually failed to do is understand how to meet the demand.

"We've seen overcrowding on trains because they failed to order the trains that they should have and then they have just completely failed to expand the system.

"You can't tell people to toughen up if you're not providing them with an alternative.

"You can't say we're an international city unless you're providing the infrastructure that an international city would have."

The Western Australian Bicycle Network Plan, which will see $47 million spent on cycling infrastructure over the next four years, was released by the Government yesterday.

Mr Nalder said a central focus of the plan was the building of shared footpaths.

Department of Transport's Right Move Perth app. www.transport.wa.gov.au Source: Supplied

Traffic app shows best way

THE WA Government wants drivers to use a new traffic app to plan their journey and avoid congestion.

The free Right Move Perth smartphone app alerts drivers to any traffic incidents.

It can access information on road works, crashes, traffic signal faults, train and bus service disruptions, major events and weather warnings.

It draws information from agencies including Main Roads WA, the Public Transport Authority and the Bureau of Meteorology and links to Google Maps.

Transport Minister Dean Nalder said the app would allow drivers to plan their route in advance.

"It's easy to use," he said.

www.rightmoveperth.wa.gov.au

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MH370: families demand evidence

Authorities say that objects scooped out of the ocean off WA are not part of missing flight MH370.

Searchers are hopeful a cluster of white objects, spotted off Perth, are parts of missing airliner MH370.

Search target ... an object floats in the southern Indian Ocean in this picture taken from a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion aircraft. Picture: Jason Reed-Pool Source: Getty Images

"We want evidence, we want the truth, we want our family back" angry Chinese relatives chanted at an impromptu protest in Kuala Lumpur today.

They unfurled red and white banners in protest at what they claim is a lack of transparency and

the truth in the search for MH370.

"Hand us the murderer. Tell us the truth. Give us our relatives back," one banner said.

"You must return relatives of MH370. No strings attached."

The banners were in English and in Mandarin.

The group of about 30 Chinese relatives of those on board MH370 arrived in Kuala Lumpur early on Sunday after flying from Beijing to demand answers about the fate of their loved ones.

The group's spokesman, who gave his name as Mr Kong, said the briefings in Beijing provided by government officials were insufficient and they wanted to meet with Malaysian Government

officials, Boeing, the airline and the satellite company.

They also want an apology from the Malaysian Government for saying that the plane had crashed in the southern Indian Ocean without proof, saying this was irresponsible.

"The announcement that the plane crashed into the southern Indian Ocean was just based on

speculation," Mr Kong said.

The relatives of Chinese family members were heartbroken, he said.

"Our aim is to find the truth. We want evidence, we want the truth ... we want to express the

feelings of our families. We hope here the Malaysian side can give us comprehensive data and

answer our questions," Mr Kong said.

"We hope in these few days we will be able to meet together with the technical team, MAS and the Malaysian Government."

They said they intend employing lawyers to further their aims.

'We want evidence, we want the truth, we want our families back' ... a Chinese relative of a passenger attends a briefing at a hotel in Subang Jaya Source: AFP

FIRST PRIORITY IS FINDING WRECKAGE

Malaysian Airlines says is it will fly the family of MH370 passengers to Perth only after official

confirmation that physical wreckage of the plane has been found.

At this time an assistance centre will be set up in Perth.

Malaysian Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said if the plane wreckage is found, family members will be taken to the site in Perth where the debris will be kept.

"The FAC will become the focal point for all activities that have been planned for the families

including briefings, religious and prayer services," Mr Yahya said late yesterday.

"Malaysia Airlines is fully committed to supporting all efforts by the relevant foreign Governments who continue to search for and recover the aircraft and it continues to co-operate with all authorities involved in the investigation."

Not from the plane ... objects scooped out of the Indian Ocean were not from MH370. Picture: Jason Reed-Pool Source: Getty Images

OBJECTS WERE NOT FROM PLANE

The demonstration of anger came after it was revealed that objects scooped out of the ocean off Western Australia were not part of Flight 370.

Chinese ship Haixun 01 and Australia's HMAS Success reportedly retrieved a number of objects from the ocean but so far none have been confirmed to be related to MH370, a statement issued by Australia maritime rescue officials said.

The objects are more likely fishing objects or rubbish, AMSA said early this morning.

Meanwhile former Defence force chief Angus Houston has been named to co-ordinate the international search effort for the plane carrying 239 passengers and crew, which disappeared more than three weeks ago.

Retired Air Chief Marshal Houston will lead a new joint agency co-ordination centre in Perth.

The search for debris from the doomed flight shifted north on Friday after new analysis of satellite data.

Flight 370 disappeared on March 8 after veering sharply off course while heading from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew aboard.

AMSA says weather in the search area is forecast to worsen on Sunday with light showers and low cloud.

Emergency mission ... one of the Australian RAAF P3 Orions. Picture: Paul Kane Source: Getty Images

PLANE DIVERTED FROM SEARCH

An Australian air force plane has been diverted from the search to respond to a fishing boat's emergency distress beacon near Antarctica.

The P3 Orion was on Sunday afternoon sent from the Indian Ocean search zone to look for a fishing boat in trouble about 3240km southwest of Perth and 650km north of the Antarctic mainland, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.

"The rescue coordination centre was unable to establish communications with the vessel and the nature of distress is unknown,'' AMSA added.

Authorities sent the P3 as it is capable of dropping survival equipment.

"A broadcast to shipping has been issued, however due to the remoteness of the location it is unlikely that any other ships will be near the area,'' AMSA said.

"The weather forecast for the area is extremely poor with low cloud, rain, snow and a water temperature of 2 degrees Celsius.''

The beacon is registered to a fishing vessel, but no details of the nationality, crew or size of the vessel have been released.

To replace the Orion in the search for MH370 a civilian jet has been dispatched from Melbourne.

That jet is expected to take five hours to travel nearly 4000km to the search zone, where it can fly for a further two hours before having to turn back.

A message for the authorities ... newly arrived Chinese relatives of passengers on board MH370 arrive in Malaysia. Picture: Aaron Favila Source: AP

HOPES REMAIN HIGH

The search for Malaysia Airlines MH370 has launched with renewed vigour this morning after the promising sightings yesterday.

China's state news agency Xinhua reported yesterday that a Chinese military plane, Ilyushin IL-76, had spotted three floating objects of white, red and orange colours respectively, from an altitude of 300 metres.

The Chinese search vessel recovered the debris overnight and determined them to have not been from the missing aircraft.

RELATED: Race to locate MH370 is search area 'size of Victoria'

AMSA this morning announced search operations were still scheduled to take place despite a worsening of the weather. Light showers and low cloud are expected to intensify during the day.

The air and sea operation will once again focus on the new zearch zone, a space of some 319,000sq km situated about 1850km west of Perth.

Meanwhile, three RAAF Orion aircraft along with Japanese and Korean Orions, a US Navy P-8 Poseideon, a Chinese Ilyushin IL-76 and two Malaysian C130 Hercules are expected to take part in the search. One civilian jet will act as a communications relay.

HMAS Success and three Chinese search vessels arrived in the area yesterday. Six more ships are expected to arrive today.

Speculation dashed ... Captain Zaharia's flight simulator 'contained nothing sinister'. Source: Supplied

SIMULATOR SPECULATION 'FALSE'

Police and the FBI have found "nothing sinister" on the MH370 pilot's homemade flight simulator, Malaysia's Defence and acting Transport Minister said.

Hishammuddin Hussein said the Malaysian police had been working with the FBI since day one on analysing the data on the simulator, which pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah built himself and which was taken from his home in the wake of the plane's disappearance.

Malaysian authorities say the simulator had been reassembled at police headquarters before being examined. Police have said that the simulator logs were deleted in February and the hard drive was sent to the FBI for further analysis about what was deleted.

"As far as I know there is nothing sinister on the simulator but of course that will have to be confirmed by the chief of police," Mr Hussein said at a briefing after meeting family members of the plane's passenger in Kuala Lumpur.

Speculation had been rife about Captain Zaharie and the simulator's contents.

Mr Hussein said Malaysian police, along with international agencies, were continuing to investigate all aspects of the Boeing 777-200, which went missing along with its crew and 239 passengers on March 8 on a scheduled flight to Beijing.

Hardest part ... Malaysia's Defence and acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, centre, comforts a relative. Picture: AP Source: AP

VOW TO CONTINUE SEARCH

The Malaysian minister vowed to continue the search for "possible survivors".

"No matter how remote the odds, we will pray, hope against hope, and continue to search for possible survivors,'' Mr Hussein said after meeting with relatives of Malaysian passengers and crew.

The hardest part was seeing the hope in their eyes, he said.

"Miracles do happen, remote or otherwise," said Mr Hussein.

His comments came as the search for the plane shifted north to a new search zone 1800km west of Perth.

RELATED: How the MH370 saga will impact on Malaysia

The new zone's shallower and more temperate waters has given searchers their best hope yet of locating the Malaysian Airlines black box before its batteries expire in nine days.

Australian prime minister Tony Abbott sounded a note of caution.

"We should not underestimate the difficulty of this work, it is an extraordinarily remote location," Abbott said yesterday.

An Australian Navy frigate, HMAS Toowoomba, has been dispatched carrying one of the navy's newest helicopters. It is expected to arrive in the search area within the next three days.

Another Australian navy ship, the Ocean Shield, was originally due to leave Perth on Sunday to join the search but will now leave on Monday. It will be carrying a US Navy 'sea drone' intended to find the missing aircraft's 'black box' flight recorders.

SEARCH ZONE: The perils of the Indian Ocean

New search zone ... A pilot on the flight deck of a Royal New Zealand air force P-3K2 Orion aircraft searching for the missing plane. Picture: Jason Reed/AP Source: AP

NEW HOPE TO RECOVER WRECKAGE

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority reported yesterday that the Chinese patrol Haixun 01 would be in a position to begin hauling objects, which might be wreckage, onto its decks by late yesterday.

Early this morning the objects were deemed to be simply trash and unrelated to the missing airliner.

Investigators are no longer convinced that satellite images that were thought to depict a "debris field" of 122 objects close to the original search area, 2500km southwest of Perth, were bits of floating metal or bits of plane fuselage. They also did not regard as credible reports that a Thai satellite had spied a separate debris field of some 300 objects.

A silence has now fallen over the reasons why the plane went so far off course. The numerous theories ranging from hijack to pilot suicide to rapid depressurisation have been talked over so thoroughly that now nothing less than a decisive reason will now suffice.

Daunting task. The southern Indian Ocean seen from the deck of a military jet. Picture: Jason Reed/AFP Source: AFP

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Police investigate body on highway

Police are probing the mysterious death of a man whose body was found in the middle of a highway in the Great Southern. Source: News Limited

POLICE are probing the mysterious death of a man whose body was found on a highway in the Great Southern.

A German backpacker was reportedly the one to discover the body near Newdegate, about 400km southeast of Perth, at about 6am this morning and call triple zero.

The body was on the Newdegate-Ravensthorpe Road, with Major Crash Squad and forensic officers at the scene all day.

Ten News reported the man could have been hit by a truck.

Senior Constable Tim Hughes said: "It's quite a difficult scene for us to work today and we just encourage people to take care on the roads."

"There'll be a certain amount of measurements and forensic investigation done at the scene today and that will hopefully help us establish a cause of the death."

It was reported the victim was a 49-year-old man from Newdegate, who had been in WA for several years.

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Perth memorial for MH370’s lost souls

A cross and wreath in memory of those on board the lost Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is fixed to a fence surrounding RAAF Pearce airbase in Bullsbrook, north of Perth. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

A MEMORIAL for the passengers and crew of Flight MH370 is being planned in Perth ahead of the arrival of family members.

It's understood a book of condolence in which people can leave messages could form part of a memorial at Perth International Airport.

The airport confirmed it was in talks with the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) and the Commonwealth about cultural protocols.

A cross and wreath in memory of MH370 passengers and crew was earlier this week placed on the fence at Royal Australian Air Force's Pearce Air Base in Bullsbrook, north of Perth.

Malaysia Airlines has previously said it would transport relatives to Perth once parts of the plane are found.

High-level discussions are continuing between state and federal governments about logistics should debris from MH370 be confirmed.

The DPC, which is supporting the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, has put a number WA agencies on standby.

A Department of Health spokesman said it would provide services if called upon by the Federal Government.

The State Emergency Management Committee, WA's peak emergency management body, is not involved at this stage, its secretariat confirmed.

Asked if inquests could be held in Perth into the deaths of MH370 passengers and crew, a spokeswoman for the Coroner's Court said: "Until the State Coroner has jurisdiction, there will be no comment."

On Thursday, the Chinese Consulate-General in Perth held a briefing for leaders of the city's Chinese community.

Sammy Yap, president of the Chung-Wah Association, said people from all backgrounds, not just Chinese, were volunteering to help.

"We hope to get called on to help. We do have quite a few people from the public ready to volunteer, that's been heartwarming," he said.

"Many of (the passengers' relatives) will not have been to Australia before.

"We will do anything we can to make their stay in Perth more comfortable and to enable them to grieve properly."

On Sunday, the 239 people on-board the Malaysia Airlines jet will be remembered at a service at the Fo Guang Shan Temple in Maylands.

The Buddha's Light International Association of WA is holding its annual prayer service Qing Ming Dharma, which commemorates deceased relatives.

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Tears for Tauri: Four teens guilty

Tauri Litchfield, who was fatally attacked in Mandurah. Source: News Corp Australia

FOUR teenagers have been found guilty of manslaughter – but cleared of murder – of Mandurah sailmaker Tauri Litchfield, who was fatally attacked.

A fifth teenager, who is now 15, was cleared of all charges and released after 12 months in custody.

All five boys, now aged 15 to 16, were cleared of the more serious charge of murdering Mr Litchfield, who was found with fatal head injuries at Mandurah on St Patrick's Day last year.

In handing down his decision, Children's Court President Judge Denis Reynolds said he considered each of the accused's role on the day and while he thought the actions in relation to four was "threatening" and "intimidating behaviour" he did not think it constituted murder.

Speaking outside court, Mr Litchfield's sister Kirra said while they were satisfied with the decision, no verdict could have given their family the outcome they truly wanted which was to have Tauri back.

She said the past year had been difficult and, at times, unbearable, adding they wished the entire event had never happened.

Tauri Litchfield's girlfriend Lisa Emes, sister Kirra Litchfield and father Clive Litchfield outside court after the verdict. Picture: Justin Benson-Cooper

But she said they were not shocked by Judge Reynold's decision, saying the prosecution had kept them informed through the entire trial process and that they knew towards the end that it was likely none of the teens would have been found guilty of murder.

Mr Litchfield's father Clive, who at times struggled to hold back tears, said he had been expecting the verdict, and was pleased that four of the accused were found guilty of manslaughter.

He also said that he wanted to thank the people who tried to help his son the night he died, saying he would be forever grateful.

He said that at times he felt like his son was on trial but was vindicated in the end.

Each family member marked the anniversary of his death at the beach and said they wanted Mr Litchfield to be remembered for his smile, big heart and adventurous personality.

Four teens have been found guilty of the manslaughter of Tauri Litchfield, 28.

The teenagers, who all pleaded not guilty, were accused of chasing the 28-year-old to his death, on March 17 last year.

They were also accused of "herding" him as he tried to flee after he was punched and kicked in the face after slapping one of the teens who tried to pick his pocket.

Mr Litchfield tripped or fell over a ledge then hit his head on bitumen, suffering fatal injuries.

He was later found unconscious by passers-by in a car park on Pinjarra Road. He was taken to hospital, but died a short time later from severe head injuries.

The case against a sixth boy was dropped earlier in the trial.

Judge Reynolds said Mr Litchfield was trying to flee from the group when he tripped over the wall at the Taubman's carpark on Pinjarra Road on St Patrick's Day last year.

"I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Litchfield's level of fear for his own safety and wellbeing would have been extreme,'' he said.

``It would have caused him to continue to run as fast as he could and to go over the wall to try and escape.''

Judge Reynolds said each of the four defendants chased Mr Litchfield for the purpose of further asssaulting him.

"Indeed the chase, in the context of what happened before, is an assault itself, given the definition of assault,'' the Judge said.

"While there as a pickpocketing earlier on, my view of the evidence, the phone falling out of Mr Litchfield's pocket and being picked up by of one the accused was opportunistic . . . an ongoing unlawful purpose of assault," he said.

"For all those reasons in the case of each defendant I am not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the unlawful killing was murder."

Despite suggestions during the trial that the victim had been agitated after celebrating St Patrick's Day with friends, Judge Reynolds said there was nothing to suggest Mr Litchfield was ``unduly aggressive or hostile'' from alcohol or cannabis consumption.

In finding the teens guilty of manslaughter, Judge Reynolds said he could also have found them guilty of doing an unlawful act causing death, but concluded their actions amounted to manslaughter.

The four teens, who are in custody, have been remanded for sentencing on April 24.

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Strike forces 95 schools to close

A protest rally over education funding cuts in September. Source: News Limited

EDUCATION Minister Peter Collier has revealed that 95 WA schools will close because of Tuesday's teachers' strike.

At a press conference this afternoon, Mr Collier revealed the extent of the fallout from the planned rally and slammed the action as "political", "unnecessary" and "irresponsible".

The 95 schools include 55 primary schools, 22 high or district high schools, 15 education support centres and three remote schools. About half of those were in the metropolitan area and the other half in country areas, including a "significant number" in the Pilbara.

Mr Collier described the rally – a "complete disruption" to the public education system – as "political opportunism" by unions just days before the April 5 WA Senate election re-run.

"I want to say at the outset I am extremely disappointed that the strike is going ahead," he said.

"Quite frankly, I think it is political, I think it is unnecessary and I think it's irresponsible. We have an excellent public education system - we have the best resourced schools and students of any state in the nation. We pay our teachers better than any other teacher of any state in the nation.

Education Minister Peter Collier.

"It's about one in eight schools at this stage (that will be affected on Tuesday). That is a disruption to students, which is simply unneccesarry."

He said the strike was "unlawful" because there was no industrial basis for the strike action.

"If the three unions involved and the Save our Schools organisation felt so compelled to engage in industrial action, they could have done it during the school vacation," he said.

Teachers from across the state will walk off the job on Tuesday in protest against controversial education cuts.

The planned Community Day of Action, organised by an alliance of the State School Teachers Union, United Voice and parent group SOS, follows a mass rally involving about 15,000 educators and parents in September when more than 60 schools were closed.

Premier Colin Barnett has previously said he did not believe the state's teachers truly supported another strike but would follow the lead of their union.

The strike will start at Langley Park at 10am on Tuesday followed by a march up St Georges Terrace to Parliament House, with speeches starting at 12pm.

Mr Collier said teachers who did not attend school on Tuesday would have their pay docked, and students who did not attend schools that remained opened on Tuesday would face having a "unauthorised absence" marked next to their names.

THE SCHOOLS AUTHORISED TO CLOSE ON TUESDAY:

Goldfields Education Region

Coolgardie Primary School

Menzies Community School

Ngaanyatjarra Lands School (Wingellina Campus only)

O'Connor Education Support Centre

O'Connor Primary School

Ravensthorpe District High School

Kimberley Education Region

Jungdranung Remote Community School

Mid West Education Region

Bluff Point Primary School

Carnarvon Community College (Marmion Street Campus only)

Holland Street School

John Willcock College

Mt Tarcoola Primary School

Mullewa District High School

Waggrakine Primary School

North Metropolitan Education Region

Arbor Grove Primary School

Bambara – Padbury Community Kindergarten

Belridge Education Support Centre

Davallia Primary School

Dianella Heights Primary School

Duncraig Senior High School

Eddystone Primary School

Gidgegannup Primary School

Helena Valley Primary School

Inglewood Primary School

Joondalup Education Support Centre

Joondalup Primary School

Kinross College

Lockridge Primary School

Moorditj Noongar Community College

Mundaring Primary School

Roseworth Education Support Centre

Swan View Senior High School

Wanneroo Senior High School

Yanchep District High School

Pilbara Education Region

Baler Primary School

Cassia Primary School

Cassia Education Support Centre

Karratha Primary School

Newman Primary School

Newman Senior High School

Port Hedland Primary School

South Hedland Primary School

Tambrey Primary School

Wickham Primary School

South Metropolitan Education Region

Armadale Education Support Centre

Belmont Primary School

Bertram Primary School

Bull Creek Primary School

Bungaree Primary School

Cannington Community Education Support Centre

Carcoola Primary School

Castlereagh School

Cloverdale Primary School

Coolbellup Learning Centre

East Waikiki Primary School

Fremantle Primary School

Kalamunda Primary School Education Support Centre

Kardinya Primary School

Kelmscott Primary School

Kensington Secondary School

Kenwick School

Lathlain Primary School

Leda Education Support Centre

Maida Vale Primary School

Malibu School

Meadow Spring Education Support Centre

Medina Primary School

North Dandalup Primary School

Safety Bay Senior High School

Samson Primary School

Southern River College

Success Primary School

Walliston Primary School

Westfield Park Primary School

Wilson Primary School

Winterfold Primary School

Yule Brook College

South West Education Region

Allanson Primary School

Amaroo Primary School

Borden Primary School

Bridgetown High School

Collie Senior High School

Maidens Park Primary School

Manjimup Education Support Centre

Nannup District High School

Northcliffe District High School

South Bunbury Primary School

Spencer Park Education Support Centre

Wheatbelt Education Region

Avonvale Education Support Centre

East Narrogin Primary School

Kellerberrin District High School

Narrogin Primary School

Southern Cross District High School

Toodyay District High School

Wongan Hills District High School

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Search planes spot multiple objects

Thailand has spotted 300 floating objects in the southern Indian Ocean during a search for flight MH370.

A Thaichote satellite image shows some of the 300 objects seen floating in the Indian Ocean near the search area for the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner, about 2700 kilometres from Perth. Picture: AP Source: AP

MULTIPLE objects of various colours have been spotted during the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.

A RNZAF Orion first spotted the objects, which were white or light in colour, and a RAAF Orion then also found the two objects, reporting they were blue or grey rectangular shapes.

A second RAAF Orion also spotted more objects on a separate search at a different site roughly 546 kilometres away, AMSA said.

Ten search planes involved in Friday's search have returned to land.

The debris must now be relocated and recovered by ships before they can be verified. A Chinese patrol ship in the area will attempt to track down the objects today.

Photographs of the objects are to be assessed overnight.

The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was shifted north after new information from Malaysia crash investigators.

Japanese authorities also announced overnight that they have satellite images which show a number of floating objects about 2500 kilometres southwest of Perth.

This comes as Malaysian authorities today received satellite imagery from Thailand.

"Early this morning we received separate satellite imagery from the Thai authorities which also showed potential objects," Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said.

"These new satellite images join those released by Australia, China, France, and Malaysia, all of which are with RCC Australia.

"The range of potential objects, and the difficulty in re-identifying them shows just how complex this investigation is. We remain grateful to all our partners for continuing to assist in the search operations."

Authorities said the location of the search area is the reason why some countries have withdrawn from the search effort.

Meanwhile, relatives of the Chinese passengers aboard missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have demanded China mount its own inquiry into the disappearance, a letter shows.

The letter, sent to Beijing's special envoy in Kuala Lumpur, denounced Malaysia's handling of the search and asked the Chinese government to set up its own "investigation office''.

A committee set up by relatives of the 153 Chinese passengers has begun discussions with lawyers about a potential lawsuit against Malaysia Airlines, a move that the family members have hotly debated among themselves.

"We question Malaysia's motivations in misleading and delaying so as to miss the best moment to find MH370,'' the relatives wrote in the letter to special envoy Zhang Yesui on Thursday, blasting Kuala Lumpur's behaviour as "irresponsible'' and "inhumane''.

"We earnestly request that China establish an investigation office into MH370,'' the letter states, also urging "an effective communication system between the relatives and the government''.

Asked about the request, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters today: "We have repeatedly pointed out that under the current circumstances what is pressing now is the search.''

There were 153 Chinese citizens on board the flight and the letter came days after frustrated family members staged a protest in front of the Malaysian embassy in Beijing.

Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said it was not yet clear whether Malaysia and China would continue a co-share arrangement on the flight route between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.

"We obviously will be in discussion with China Southern on this because that flight is a co-share," he said.

"So far Boeing has not provided any form of funding but they are in full cooperation with the investigation team, and ourselves as well, trying to find out what happened to MH370."

When asked about compensation for the relatives of victims, Mr Yahya said that what families wanted most was evidence of the aircraft.

"We are obviously talking to the various legal parties and the families on this," he said.

"So far what we have been requested is actually, certainly by the family members, is to identify the evidence affirmatively which means they want to see evidence in terms of the aircraft.

"They are still looking for the evidence of the aircraft. That's why the search has actually intensified to make sure we can locate the aircraft."

PLANE FLEW FASTER, CRASHED SOONER THAN THOUGHT

New analysis of radar data from Malaysia Airlines' flight MH370's initial hour in the air indicates the plane flew faster and crashed sooner than previously thought.

The search off Perth has today shifted dramatically, more than 1000km northeast and closer to the Australian coast, after Malaysian authorities shared "a new credible lead".

Australia is no longer convinced the satellite images that supposedly depicted debris fields in the southern Indian Ocean are bits of floating plane fuselage or flotsam associated with the wreck of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

A senior source close to the search said it had cooled on its belief that a debris field of 122 objects was related to plane wreckage. The source also said that reports a Thai satellite had located a separate debris field of some 300 objects were not being treated as credible by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority or the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

SOUTHERN INDIAN OCEAN: WHY FLIGHT MH370 IS SO HARD TO FIND

The Australian authorities had not received any formal information from Thailand and have now dismissed the reports, which they first heard via the media.

It is not clear what the white specks seen on satellite — some reported to be as large as 20m — did in fact show.

But Australia is of the view that it has thoroughly combed the area where 122 objects were supposedly seen, and despite unconfirmed aerial sightings of three objects in the area, ships had found nothing.

On day 21 of the search John Young, manager of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's emergency response division, said this afternoon that four planes were in the area, and that six ships were on the way to the new zone, which was "now our best place to go".

"We have moved on from (previous) search areas,'' said Mr Young.

"The search we've had to date is what we had at the time. New information will emerge.

"I don't count the original work a waste of time.''

MEMORIAL IN PERTH PLANNED FOR MH370 VICTIMS

Latest development ... The new search zone for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. Source: Supplied

Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), Australia's investigation agency, said this is the best estimate of the area where the aircraft is likely to have crashed into the ocean.

"We have taken into account drift information as well as the likely entry point of the aircraft into the water," he said.

The key pieces of information being analysed relate to early positional information from the aircraft and its later polling of the satellite through its aircraft systems, he said.

"The new information is based on continuing analysis of radar data about the aircraft's movement between the South China Sea and the Straits of Malacca before contact was lost.

"This continuing analysis indicated the plane was travelling faster than previously estimated, resulting in increased fuel usage and reducing the possible distance the aircraft travelled south into the Indian Ocean.

"Radar and satellite polling data has been combined with information about the likely performance of the aircraft, speed and fuel consumption in particular, to arrive at the best assessment of the area at which the aircraft is likely to have entered the water.

"The information provided by the international investigation team is the most credible lead that we currently have in the search for aircraft wreckage."

FLIGHT MH370: SOUNDS OF THE DEEP MAY HINDER SEARCH

Mr Dolan said the information needed to be continually adjusted for the length of time elapsed since the aircraft went missing and the likelihood of any drift of any wreckage floating on the ocean surface.

"Finally we stress that under the international convention Malaysia has investigative responsibility for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. At this stage ATSB's main task is to assist in the search for the aircraft."

FLIGHT MH370: MEET THE AUSTRALIAN WHO SHOULD BE DEAD

Organisers arrange black ribbons during a ceremony in memory of passengers on board the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in Kuala Lumpur. Source: AP

The new search area is approximately 319,000 square kilometres and around 1,850 kilometres west of Perth. AMSA resumed today's search with a total of 10 aircraft and six ships.

My Young said the search area remains large: about 319,000 square kilometres with sea depths in the new area range from 2000 metres to 4000 metres.

Planes and ships had spent a week searching about 2500 kilometres southwest of Perth, whereas now they are searching about 1850 kilometres west of the city.

Mr Young said that as the new search zone is closer to Perth, where planes are being flown from, spotters have longer time on the scene than before. Until now, they only had one to two hours before having to return to RAAF air base Pearce.

"We're now doing much better than that,'' Mr Young said.

He added the "best information" about where to search related to the aircraft's flight path, rather than satellite imagery of possible debris.

"Anything we can have about movement of aircraft creates the greatest degree of confidence," he said.

"We've also had satellite imagery. Satellite imagery has been followed up but actually had not produced any sightings for us but that might change in the future.

"We also use sophisticated oceanographic modelling to determine where objects will move. In terms of keeping the search area confined, knowing what happens to the water is very important."

A host of images from Japanese, Thai and French satellites had given searchers hope — now apparently false — that a debris field from the plane was in the earlier search area. Collectively they detected hundreds of objects ranging from 1 metre to about 20 metres in length.

Mike Coffin, the executive director of the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at Australia's University of Tasmania, said the frequency of the apparent false alarms raised questions about the quality of the satellite data, though it's also possible that the satellites detected real objects that were simply unrelated to the plane. Mr Coffin has sailed in that part of the ocean.

"There is all kinds of debris in the ocean,'' he said. "When you are out there, you see stuff all the time.''

Mr Young said a "significant amount of random dispersion of objects" would have occurred in the 21 days since the plane crashed, steadily increasing the size of the search area.

Weather conditions in the new search area will also be more favourable, he said.

As the search continues, Malaysia Airlines is struggling to control the backlash from China and took a swipe at the media over its irresponsible reporting.

"Malaysia Airlines wishes to thank media publications that have been responsible in their reporting of MH370," it said in a statement.

"We shall continue to cooperate in providing such information as we can but independent investigations are now underway and we do operate under strict constraints in this regard.

"In the meantime our top priority remains to provide any and all assistance to the families of the passengers and crew."

Remembered ... Motor racing driver Lewis Hamilton prepares to drive with a sticker on his helmet in memory of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 during practice for the Malaysia F1 Grand Prix. Source: Getty Images

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he has been briefed about the new radar data analysis of the flight path.

"This is a credible new lead and will be thoroughly investigated today," Mr Abbott said.

"This is an extraordinarily difficult search, and an agonising wait for family and friends of the passengers and crew," he added.

"As I have said from the start, we owe it to them to follow every credible lead and to keep the public informed of significant new developments. That is what we are doing."

The Prime Minister said leading experts from around the world are working to solve this "baffling mystery".

"It has been a truly remarkable international effort."

"We will continue to work closely with the Malaysian and Chinese governments and with all our international partners to locate MH370 and find answers to what happened to it."

New search directions ... Flight Lt. Jayson Nichols looks at a map as he flies aboard a RAAF AP-3C Orion. Picture: Michael Martina Source: AP

It was announced yesterday that Thai and Japanese satellites had spotted other floating objects ranging from two to 16 metres in length, about 2700 kilometres southwest of Perth.

"But we cannot — dare not — confirm they are debris from the plane," said Anond Snidvongs, director of Thailand's space technology development agency.

Japan's Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Centre said their analysis showed 10 objects in the search area, suggesting a debris field.

The objects were up to eight metres in length and four metres wide.

Jiji Press cited an official at the office as saying they were "highly likely'' to be from the plane.

Family ... a woman breaks into tears as she places a paper crane as a symbol for hope and healing during a ceremony in memory of passengers on board the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight. Picture: AP Source: AP

SEARCH ZONE: Understanding the Indian Ocean

But relatives of the 239 people aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 expressed their frustration at yet more satellite discoveries that have not been backed up by the recovery of any actual debris.

"Until something is picked up and analysed to make sure it's from MH370 we can't believe it, but without anything found it's just clues,'' Steve Wang, whose 57-year-old mother was aboard the flight, said in Beijing.

"Without that, it's useless."

Wang Zhen, whose parents were aboard the missing plane, said in a telephone interview in Beijing that he was becoming exasperated.

"There is nothing I can do but to wait, and wait,'' he said. "I'm also furious, but what is the use of getting furious?''

The families' anger has not diminished this week; the Straits Times reported that Malaysian authorities infuriated passengers' loved ones by telling them at a briefing this week that there was "sealed evidence that cannot be made public" in relation to the missing flight.

"The sealed evidence included air traffic control radio transcript, radar data and airport security recordings," the paper reported.

The remarks by Malaysian authorities — made at the Metropark Lido Hotel in Beijing — have not been reported by other major newspapers, despite being widely shared on social media.

Mission control ... a navigation screen aboard an AP-3C Orion aircraft shows their current location represented by a white circle during their mission to the (former) search area. Source: AFP

THE LATEST SATELLITE IMAGES

The new pictures were taken by Thailand's only earth observation satellite on Monday but took several days to process and were relayed to Malaysian authorities on Wednesday.

The discovery was reported less than 24 hours after the Malaysian government revealed 122 objects had been seen about 2557 kilometres from Perth, ranging in length from one metre to 23 metres.

It's unknown whether the satellites detected the same objects; currents in the ocean can run a meter per second and wind also could move material.

Thailand faced criticism after announcing more than a week after the jet's disappearance on March 8 that its radar had picked up an "unknown aircraft" minutes after flight MH370 last transmitted its location.

The Thai air force said it did not report the findings earlier as the plane was not considered a threat.

The Malaysia Airlines plane is presumed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean with 239 people on board after mysteriously diverting from its Kuala Lumpur-Beijing path and apparently flying for hours in the opposite direction.

Blue skies but fading hopes ... RAAF Flight Lieutenant Russell Adams looks out from the cockpit. Picture: Paul Kane Source: AFP

CHALLENGES OF THE SEARCH

Thunderstorms and gale-force winds grounded the international air search for wreckage on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the specialist visual spotters who have spent countless hours searching the vast Indian Ocean for signs of the missing plane are battling fatigue and tricks of the mind.

For all the fancy technology on board the planes and vessels scouring the swirling waters, the best tool searchers have are their own eyes — but they can play tricks or blink at the wrong moment.

Fighting fatigue ... a RAAF crew member looks out of his observation window while searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 over the Indian Ocean. Picture: AP Source: AP

RELATED: How MH370 saga will impact on Malaysia

"Thinking about that is what keeps you going over what can be really, really long and quite dull missions at times,'' says one searcher. "Is it going to be behind this next wave?''

"You might be looking for a single canoe in the vastness of the Pacific and we do find them.

"So there is always hope.''

Remembered ... a woman takes a photo of a screen showing candles lit for relatives of passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the Metro Park Lido Hotel in Beijing. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

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MH370 death text angers family

Danica Weeks, the wife of Paul Weeks who was on Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. Source: News Corp Australia

THE family of Perth man Paul Weeks, who was aboard the doomed Malaysia Airlines flight, have criticised Malaysia's handling of the information flow about the search operation.

His wife Danica Weeks found out in a text message from the airline that her husband had likely died when the plane crashed in the Indian Ocean and his sister, Sara, had to rely on a call from her mother to hear the news.

``The whole situation has been handled appallingly, incredibly insensitively,'' Sara Weeks told Radio Live in New Zealand today.

``Everyone is angry about it.

``The Malaysian government, the airline, it's just all been incredibly poor.

``Who's to say they couldn't have located the plane the day that it happened.''

A lot of information seemed to have been withheld and took a very long time to get through, she added.

Malaysian authorities confirmed two days ago that the plane carrying 239 passengers and crew, which disappeared almost three weeks ago, had been lost in the southern Indian Ocean thousands of kilometres west of Perth.

Sara Weeks said she was called at 3.30am by her mother, who was worried she might hear the news of her brother's death from the media.

Malaysia Airlines said in a statement that where possible they had informed the almost 1000 family members either in person or by telephone, and only used text messages where necessary.

Paul Weeks, a 39-year-old mechanical engineer based in Perth, was travelling to Mongolia for his first shift in a fly-in-fly-out job.

Danica and Paul Weeks' two sons - Lincoln, 3, and 11-month-old Jack.

Sara Weeks said it had been a nightmare not knowing and the family still didn't have any closure as so much was unexplained.

``The not knowing is awful and, to be honest, we still don't know. They haven't given us any tangible evidence on how they know that plane is there,'' she told More FM in New Zealand.

``To just ... say everyone's dead, that's where the plane is, without offering up any sort of evidence, it has been really difficult.''

Malaysia Airlines will fly Sara Weeks to Perth to be with her sister-in-law Danica Weeks and her two sons Lincoln, 3, and Jack, 11 months.

Mr Weeks left his wedding ring and watch at home before setting off, Danica Weeks has said.

Sara Weeks hopes to meet some of the other families who've lost loved ones on the flight.

Danica and Paul Weeks, who was one of two New Zealanders on the plane, moved to Perth from Christchurch after the earthquakes of 2011.

The family of Ximin Wang, 50, of Auckland, have asked for privacy.

Meanwhile, satellite images have shown more than 120 pieces of potential debris from the flight in the southern Indian Ocean. To date, no wreckage has been recovered

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Malaysia must learn MH370 lessons

The families of passengers aboard missing airliner MH370 have criticised Malaysia's handling of information.

A REPRESENTATIVE of Perth's Malaysian community has spoken of his frustration at the Malaysian government's handling of the MH370 tragedy.

Jordan Sugunasingam, president of the Association of Malaysians in Western Australia, said the crisis had highlighted to the world the inefficiency of Malaysian bureaucracy.

Mr Sugunasingam, an analyst who moved to Australia 12 years ago, said Malaysian authorities should have been more forthcoming with information right from the start.

Malaysian Minister of Defence and Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein (C) delivers his statement as Malindo chief executive officer Chandran Rama Muthy (L) and Director General of Civil Aviation Department Azharuddin Abdul Rahman (R) listen during the update on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in Kuala Lumpur on March 26, 2014. Picture: AFP

■ MH370 latest: Pilot's son breaks silence as satellite spots 122 objects in Indian Ocean

■ Perth hotels prepare to receive relatives of MH370 passengers

He said this lack of information was symptomatic of the nation's bureaucracy and lessons needed to be learned.

"It highlights to the international community the inefficiency of Malaysian bureaucracy," he said.

"It's one of the reasons that Malaysians migrate over here (to Australia), because they are fed up with the sociopolitical system.

"(Malaysia is) a fairly comfortable place to live, but politically it is poorly managed and sadly its taken this tragedy to highlight that to the rest of the world."

Mr Sugunasingam, president of AMWA since last year, said the Malaysian community in Perth had offered to support the expected influx of relatives of the 239 people on board MH370.

"The only thing we can do is offer support to the people. If we know what is going to happen and where they are going to be put up we could offer them comfort," he said.

"We can only help in small ways to make their time in Perth a bit easier."

No-one from the Malaysian Consulate-General in Perth was authorised to speak to the media when contacted today.

An estimated 25,000 Malaysians live in WA. Mr Sugunasingam said he was not aware of any who had been directly touched by the tragedy.

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