MH17: Ukraine, Malaysia signs agreement to secure deployment of Malaysian personnel

Ukraine and Malaysia has signed an agreement to deploy Malaysian personnel to secure the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash site on Friday.

Ambassador of Malaysia to Ukraine Chuah Teong Ban and Ukraine Foreign Affairs Minister Pavlo Klimkin signed the agreement that would allow the Malaysian team to join the international missionin investigating the tragedy, along with representatives of Australia and the Netherlands.

In a statement by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the agreement marked an ‘important step in Ukraine’s efforts to ensure objective and transparent investigation of the tragedy’ and ‘bringing to justice all those responsible for shooting down the MH17 aircraft.’

On Wednesday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar headed a 68-member team to join the international security team in conducting investigations on MH17 crash in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine.

The special investigation team comprised of the police forensic officers, Special Malaysia Search and Rescue Team (SMART) and medical officers.

Flight MH17, was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it went down in Donetsk, near the Russian border on July 17.

The Boeing 777-200 aircraft which was carrying 298 people - 283 passengers and 15 crew - was believed to have been shot down, but until today no one has claimed responsibility for the heinous act.