MH17: Government Will Do Its Best To Provide Closure, Bring Back Victims - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today gave assurance that the government will do its utmost to provide closure to the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crew and passenger grieving families and it will also do its level best to bring back the victims of the tragedy.

Najib said the Malaysian investigation team had arrived in Kiev, Ukraine, and was in the midst of making arrangements to access the location of the crash some 400km away.

"A few holistic approaches must be taken and it is understood that insurgents have agreed to create a safe passage for the recovery and investigation team.

"We hope they will do so as this is a serious event and they must all demonstrate compassion for the countries affected and the innocent victims," Najib said in his latest posting in his Facebook account here Saturday.

The prime minister said he had also asked Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman to go to Kiev as soon as possible to ensure that the team could do their work undisturbed.

"They (Liow and Anifah) are to facilitate and ensure our demands are met. Other than logistics, this is a geopolitical matter," he said.

Najib said the handling of flight MH17's blackbox must follow the international laws of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the recovery must be by Malaysia as owner of the blackbox.

"When meeting the next-of-kin, we understand their individual perspectives as a family unit. It was a very emotional session and I urge the public to uphold in prayers all those affected by this unspeakable tragedy," he said.

Flight MH17, carrying 298 people - 283 passengers and 15 crew was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it went down in Ukraine. 43 passengers including the 15 crew and two infants are Malaysians.

Ukrainian authorities believe that the Boeing 777 was shot down.

MH17 had left Amsterdam at 12.15 pm (Netherlands time) Thursday and was to have arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 6.10 am (Malaysian time) Friday.