MH17: Malaysia to use UN platform to seek justice - Hishammuddin

Malaysia is to use the opportunity of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week to seek justice for the victims of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH17 which was shot down in Ukraine, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said today.

He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who will address the assembly, would raise the matter with several leaders he would meet in New York, among them US President Barack Obama, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Najib would seek justice not only for Malaysians but also for the nationals of several other countries who were killed in the tragedy, he told reporters after opening the Sungai Petani Umno Division delegates meeting here.

"We are on the right platform to demand justice and bring to book those responsible for downing the aircraft. No one can deny us this right. Let's wait for the developments at the United Nations," he said.

Flight MH17 went down in eastern Ukraine on July 17 as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 83 passengers and 15 crew on board. The Boeing 777-200 aircraft was shot down over the troubled country.

Besides the 43 Malaysians, nationals from the Netherlands, Australia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, the Philippines, Canada and New Zealand were among the 298 people on board.

Hishammuddin also said gave the assurance that efforts would be made to search for the missing MAS Flight MH370 until it was found.

Flight MH370 dropped off radar on March 8 as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board.

The Boeing 777 aircraft has yet to be found, even after an exhaustive search in the southern Indian Ocean where it is believed to have gone down after veering off course.