Mom to Putin: Send my children home

A grieving mother has appealed directly to the Russian president Vladimir Putin to return the bodies of her son and his girlfriend who died in the downing of MH17, the Associated Press reported.

Silene Fredriksz-Hoogzand said she was appalled that the bodies of her son Bryce, his girlfriend Daisy Oehlers and other victims were left lying on the crash site for days.

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(Photo provided by Silene Fredriksz-Hoogzand on Sunday, July 20, 2014, shows Bryce Fredriksz, right, and his girlfriend Daisy Oehlers - APphoto)

“I am not a politician. But I know for sure that Mr. Putin can do something,” she told the AP in a telephone interview.

“No words can describe it. Bodies are just lying there for three days in the hot sun. There are people who have this on their conscience. There are families who can never hold the body of a child or a mother,” she added.

Bryce and his girlfriend were among the 298 passengers and crew of MH17 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down.

MAS announced that it is retiring the code MH17, as a sign of respect to all those on board of the flight and will carry the new flight code MH19 for its Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur service beginning July 25.

Days after the MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine after allegedly being shot down, concerns mounted that rebels were still limiting access to the bodies and hiding key evidence from Thursday’s disaster.

Pressure from around the world continues to escalate in demanding Putin to persuade the pro-Russian separatists to hand over the victims' remains and allow international investigators unfettered access to the crash site in Grabove.

In Malaysia, grieving family members want the bodies of their loved ones be brought back home, whatever the condition may be to bury the deceased according to their respective religion's rites and beliefs.