Those responsible for shooting down MH17 to be known latest by 2018

The names of those who are responsible for shooting down the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in July 2014 are expected to be known at the latest by 2018.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said so far, the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) had identified 100 individuals linked to the tragedy.

"They have to call every one of them to investigate all the details and when we have identified who shot the aircraft, we will do everything in our power to get the court in Netherlands to prosecute," he said when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill at the committee level for his ministry at the Dewan Rakyat

sitting here today.

The Boeing B777 was heading to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam when it was shot down in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew, including 44 Malaysian citizens.

On MH370, the minister said the detailed technical report was expected to be released early next year upon completion of the search covering an area of 120,000sq km.

Liow said the search team involving Australia, China and Malaysia would temporarily postpone the operation if they failed to find the aircraft during the search in the southern Indian Ocean.

"We will not stop, but will temporarily postpone the search for the aircraft until we find new leads," he said.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, carrying 239 passengers and crew members, vanished from the radar while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.