Jetrell Fo said:

I don't like having to point this out but there are terrorist organizations with factions in that part of the world and they usually go unhindered by local authorities. Having airplane parts would probably be most useful to them.

Not just terrorists, you have essentially resistance groups (who don't go out of their way to attack civilians), you have common crims and poor people desperate enough to pick at what's left of the bird once everyone else has had a nibble.

Similarly as I linked to earlier some of the passengers are computer experts, there are a lot of Chinese middle class tourists.

They would be worth a fair amount in ransom.

Lots of potential motives for just stealing the plane and the people on board but not only that the cargo...who knows what's in the hold?

But as Warb points out the silence is the most notable feature of this story.

If the NSA and GCHQ are monitoring everything as they seem to be why the silence? It would be the best surveillance PR move to find this plane and prevent some horrible crime. Surely the Chinese know something?

The only people doing the talking are the Malaysian government and they lock people up on trumped up sex charges for daring not to agree with them.

Maybe it's handy having a distraction with Crimea happening in Russia, not happening in America and only being given lip-service by the EU?