Those responsible for downing MH17 must be brought to justice: PM Najib

Malaysia is committed to bringing those responsible for downing Malaysia Airlines MH17 to be brought to justice and there is no two ways about it, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said.

"We are part of the international joint investigation team and we have made a commitment that those responsible for downing MH17 will be brought to justice. That has continuously been our position," he said.

Hence, Malaysia will first wait for the report on the incident which would be tabled Wednesday by the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team and the countries concerned will discuss the next course of action, he said when asked about the report to be tabled by the Dutch authorities.

"There are a few options available but based on the report and findings of the report, we will then decide on the next course of action. We remain committed to finding justice or rather bringing them to justice," he said at a joint press conference with Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, here Tuesday.

Najib is here for his first official visit to Germany since taking office in 2009. The three-day visit, beginning Monday, is on Merkel’s invitation.

MH17 was shot down while cruising at an altitude of 30,000ft and crashed in a tense area of Ukraine near the Russian border.

Last year, chairman of the Dutch Safety Board Tjibbe Joustra confirmed that MH17 was shot down by a Buk surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine.

The report came out after 15 months of investigations undertaken by a joint investigation team from the Netherlands, Ukraine, Malaysia, Australia, United Kingdom, the United States and Russia.

In other developments, asked if there will be an early election in Malaysia due to issues surrounding 1Malaysia Development Bhd, Najib said the question of election was not due to any single factor.

"It must be predicated on the basis that we have good policies in Malaysia. We are delivering for the benefit of the people and we are the best government to lead Malaysia into the future.

"We have a strong record and we will continue tell the Malaysian people that we, our government is still the best choice," he said. -- Bernama