Socso to hand over benefits to 43 next-of-kin of MH17 victims

The Social Security Organisation (Socso) has made preparations to hand over benefits under the Jobs Disaster Scheme to 43 next-of-kin of Malaysians who died in the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH17 tragedy.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem said the ministry was only waiting for a suitable time to hold a ceremony to hand over the benefits.

"Thank you to all officers of Socso who have worked hard to identify and contact the next-of-kin of the victims as soon as they received information from MAS," he said at a 2013 Socso excellence service and Loyal Service award ceremony here, tonight.

His speech text was read by Human Resources Ministry secretary-general Datuk Saripuddin Kasim.

Riot said his ministry, through Socso, was also prepared to hand over the benefits of the Socso scheme to the next-of-kin of the MAS Flight MH370 victims.

"We have not forgotten the matter, it is only that we cannot do anything to date because the mystery of the missing MH370 is ongoing," Riot said.

As of yesterday, 24 victims of the MH17 tragedy had been flown home to Malaysia with the identities of two remains not revealed at the request of the families.

Twenty of the remains were flown home from Amsterdam on Aug 22, one arrived on Aug 23 and three more arrived yesterday.

Flight MH17, with 298 passengers and crew, was believed to have been shot down when flying over Donetsk, east Ukraine on July 17 when enroute to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam.

A total 43 individuals including 15 crew of flight MH17 were Malaysians.

Meanwhile, flight MH370 which was flying to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew went off the radar after departing from the KL International Airport on March 8. A total 38 of the passengers and 12 crew of MH370 were Malaysians. The effort to find MH370, involving several nations, is still ongoing.