I think the real question right now is why are they searching in the Malacca Strait? For the plane to end up there it would have had to turn around, fly over land (and possibly radar as well as cell towers that passengers could use) and then go out over open water again. There is no logical reason for the plane to end up there. If the plane actually did go through the Malacca Strait and didn’t crash, it could be almost anywhere as the entire Indian Ocean would be open to it.
