Five years on, Malaysia says it will continue pursuing MH17 culprits

This Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015 file photo, shows the reconstructed wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, put on display during a press conference in Gilze-Rijen, central Netherlands. AP FILE PHOTO

PETALING JAYA — The Malaysian government says it will continue to pursue those who were responsible for the shooting down of flight MH17, five years after the incident in the eastern part of Ukraine.

“Five years might have passed but our resolve for accountability and justice will not wane.

“The Malaysian government will continue to pursue those who were responsible for this heinous crime and secure justice for the victims,” the Ministry of Transport said in a statement on Wednesday (July 17).

It said Malaysia would continue to work with the other members of Joint Investigation Team (JIT) and other grieving nations, as well as the international community, in informing the families of the progress being made in the search for accountability and justice.

“Without a doubt, every family and the next of kin who are affected by this tragedy deserve to see justice.

“We sincerely hope that this will bring some measure of comfort and solace to the families and the next of kin of those who were lost in this tragedy.

“We hope and pray that the families and loved ones of those on board will be given strength to resume normal lives, or as normal a life as may be possible without their loved ones.

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“We will remain resolute in our pursuit, and we will leave no stone unturned until justice is served,” the statement said.

On July 17, 2014, the Malaysia Airlines flight en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down as it was flying over pro-Russian separatists territory in Ukraine, killing all 298 people including 43 Malaysians on board.

Last June, the JIT, consisting of Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine, announced that four individuals – three Russians and one Ukrainian – would be charged with the downing of MH17.

However, on June 20, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad described the decision to charge the four individuals with murder over flight MH17 as a political plot against Russia.

He said Malaysia was not convinced by the JIT’s findings and demanded that the investigators provide proof that the Russians were behind the shooting.

The four were Russian nationals Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Oleg Pulatov, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko.