MH17: Preparations going well for ceremony to receive remains of victims

Preparations for the ceremony to receive the remains of victims of the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH17 tragedy in eastern Ukraine, are going well and smoothly. Speaking to Bernama, an officer involved in the rehearsal for the ceremony held at the Bunga Raya Complex, KL International Airport here today, said: "We will look at all angles that should be improved to ensure smooth running of the actual ceremony scheduled for Friday." The special aircraft carrying the first batch of the remains of the victims from Amsterdam is expected to arrive at the KLIA at around 10 am on Friday. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah is scheduled to be at the ceremony, which will also be attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, cabinet ministers, menteris besar and chief ministers, as well the families of the victims. On Aug 14, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that Aug 22 (Friday) would be the national day of mourning as the date would witness the arrival of the remains of Malaysian victims who perished in the MH17 tragedy. Meanwhile, Bernama checks on at the Bunga Raya Complex found that the rehearsal involved the movement of caskets and receptacles, which will be covered with the Jalur Gemilang, from the aircraft to the waiting hearses. A Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) spokesman said approximately 300 personnel from the 12th Malaysian Infantry Brigade would be involved in the ceremony. "Four helicopters will transport the remains of victims to their respective home states in the peninsula, while two Charlie aircraft will transport the remains of those from Sarawak," he said. Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said the remains of 22 victims would be flown home from the Netherlands on Thursday and arrive in Malaysia Friday morning. He said the remains, which include that of non-Malaysian citizens, would be in 18 caskets and four receptacles containing ashes. Flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine on July 17 as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers and 15 crew on board. The Boeing 777-200 aircraft was believed to have been shot down over the troubled country, although no parties had claimed responsibility for it.