Government marks July 11 as first year anniversary of MH17 tragedy - Liow

The government today announced July 11 as the first anniversary of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH17 which was shot down in eastern Ukraine in July last year.

Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said although investigation into the incident was still ongoing, the anniversary is held as a sign of respect for the families of the victims involved.

“The government has agreed to set the date for the first anniversary of the MH17 flight which was shot down. The event will be held at the Bunga Raya Complex.

“We remain committed in our effort of finding those responsible for the incident. I would like to say that we are concerned about this matter and will look for those responsible for what happened,” said Liow during a press conference held here today.

Flight MH17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down in eastern Ukraine last July 17, killing all 298 passengers and crew on board.

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Liow added that the government will continue to urge the United Nations (UN) to investigate the reason behind incident.

“The investigation is not complete and I hope to receive the Interim report as soon as possible.

“We are still waiting for the Interim report and we also have our representative there (Netherlands),” he said.

Apart from Malaysia, Netherlands and Australia will also hold similar events in their respective countries.

It had been reported earlier that MAS will bear the expenses for the families wishing to attend the anniversary in the Netherlands.

Apart from Malaysia, Netherlands and three other countries wants for a United Nations tribunal to be established as a platrform to discuss about the incident.

Malaysia will lead the countries involved to submit a draft of resolution to the Security Council in relation to the establishment of the tribunal.