PUTRAJAYA: The items found on a remote beach off an African coast, initially believed to belong to Malaysia Airlines MH370 victims, were not from the aircraft.
Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Ab Aziz Kaprawi said the search operation on MH370 will still be suspended until new clues emerge.
"After verification, it was determined that the items found on the beach were not connected to MH370.
"We still have yet to find the main wreckage and black box. If these items were discovered, only then can we determine the root cause.
"As Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Liow had said, the search operation would be suspended until credible evidence is found," he said.
He was responding to the discovery of several personal items found on a Madagascar beach, allegedly belonging to MH370 victims.
A group representing the families of passengers and crew onboard MH370 had claimed that Malaysian government had ignored the evidence.
The search for MH370 was suspended indefinitely upon completion of the 120,000 sq km search area in the southern Indian Ocean.
Liow said the ministers involved in the tripartite meeting, comprising officials from Malaysia, China and Australia, have agreed on the suspension in the absence of credible evidence leading to identification of a specific location of the aircraft.
MH370 disappeared in March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew onboard while on its way to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur.