MH17: Five more Malaysian victims' remains to be accorded military honours tomorrow

Five more remains of the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH17 Malaysian crash victims will arrive from Amsterdam tomorrow and accorded military honours.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said one of them was a Muslim and the other four were non-Muslims.

The remains of Matthew Ezekial Sivagnanam, Liew Yau Chee and his wife, Lee Kiah Yeen, Meling Mula and Muhammad Afruz Tambi are scheduled to arrive at the Bunga Raya Complex, KL International Airport (KLIA) at 8.30 am.

"Of the five remains, three will be received in coffins while the couple (Liew Yau Chee and Lee Kiah Yeen)'s ashes will be brought in urns.

However the two urns will be brought in only one hearse as requested by the victims' family members," he said in a statement here today.

Hishammuddin said the ashes of Liew Yau Chee and Lee Kiah Yeen will be brought to the Sungai Besi Nirvana while the remains of Matthew Ezekial Sivagnanam would be brought to St. Fatima Church in Brickfields.

The remains of Muhammad Afruz and Meling Mula will be flown back by two C130 aircraft to Kuching dan Bintulu.

Hishammuddin said the government hoped all parties, including the media would respect the grief faced by the MH17 tragedy victims' family members by respecting their privacy and sensitivity.

He said up to date the government had brought back 37 Malaysian victims from the Netherlands including one victim, Loh Yan Hwa who had dual Malaysian and Dutch citizenship.

"This total involved 24 Muslims and 13 non Muslims, including 22 passengers and 15 crew members.

"With another five more remains to be brought back tomorrow, we have brought home 42 remains of Malaysian victims from the Netherlands. This means that only two more Malaysian victims have yet to be traced or identified," he said.

Hishammuddin also said the government was consistent that those responsible in shooting down flight MH17 should be brought to justice and subsequently punished for the crime or murder that they committed.

Flight MH17 was carrying 283 passengers and 15 crew when it was shot down in east Ukraine on July 17 while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.