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| FotoBERNAMA |
Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak flew into the Netherlands this morning for a two-day tight visit over the downing of Malaysia
Airlines (MAS) Flight MH17 in Ukraine.
He arrived at Schiphol International Airport at 8 am local
time (2 pm in Malaysia), accompanied by
his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
Three hours later, he was already in the Hague to meet with
his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte for discussions on the tragedy.
The
MAS flight, MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur went down in Donetsk, eastern
Ukraine near the Russian border on July 17.
The
Boeing 777-200 aircraft, carrying 298 people - 283 passengers and 15 all-Malaysian
crew, was believed to have been shot down, but until today no one has claimed
responsibility. A total of 195 Dutch nationals were on board the flight.
In
a live telecast from the Hague, Malaysian television viewers could see a
visibly sombre Datuk Seri Najib read the following statement after the meeting
with Rutte:
"Like the
Netherlands, Malaysia is in mourning. We mourn the loss of all 298 lives on
board MH17.
"And as we
watched the first bodies arrive in Eindhoven, our hearts reached out to the
people of the Netherlands, who have lost so much.
"The flags
flying at half-mast told their own story: of the nations who lost their sons
and daughters. And of our determination to work together to bring them home.
"Malaysia stands
with the Netherlands, with Australia; with all countries whose people have been
lost. We stand together, united in grief, and ready to help however we can.
"Earlier, Prime
Minister Rutte and I spoke about the continued military activity at the crash
site; the inability of international investigators to deploy across it; and the
human remains that may still lie there.
"For the sake of
the grieving families, it is imperative that all remains at the crash site are
repatriated as soon as possible. Every single victim must be given dignity and
a decent funeral.
"Our other
priority is to ensure that the international investigators are given full and
unfettered access to the site, so that they may collect evidence and carry out
their vital work.
"Only then will
we be able to find out what happened to MH17; only then can we achieve justice
for the victims and their families.
"The conflict in
eastern Ukraine may not be easily resolved. But the people on board that plane
had no part in it.
"We ask that
there be an immediate cessation of hostilities in and around the crash site -
by both Ukrainian and separatist forces.
"We ask that all
sides respect the lives lost, and the integrity of the site, so that the
investigation may proceed. The long walk towards justice begins with this step.
"A team of 68
Malaysian police has arrived Kiev today. They will work together with the Dutch
and Australian teams to help secure access to the site. Malaysia fully supports
the international investigation, and we are grateful to the Netherlands for
their lead role in the international team.
"Repatriating
the remains of victims as fast as possible is a shared priority. Malaysian
experts are already helping here in the Netherlands with the painstaking task
of identification - and we stand ready to provide more assistance if required.
"On behalf of
Malaysia, I would like to thank Prime Minister Rutte and the Dutch people for
all they have done, and continue to do, for the victims of this senseless and
tragic act.”
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| FotoBERNAMA |
The
prime minister then left for Hilversum where the remains of the victims were
undergoing identification and forensic process.
He
and his wife later hosted dinner for the Malaysian investigation team members
in Amsterdam at 7.30 pm local time (1.30am Malaysia time).
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