The international team investigating the Malaysia Airlines (MAS), Flight MH17 tragedy is expected to re-enter the crash site in April next year.

Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said this was decided by the three-nation team comprising Malaysia, the Netherlands and Australia after the investigation temporarily stopped due to the cold weather and the ongoing armed conflict.

"Clashes are still taking place there. The latest, I learnt there was a gun battle this morning between the separatists and Ukrainian troops at the airport in Donetsk, Ukraine," he told a news conference after attending a rank conferment and handing-over of duties ceremony at Bukit Aman here on Tuesday.

He said the investigating team would focus on a new location at the crash site involving a livestock farm where fragments of the aircraft had been found.

GALLERY: MH17 TRAGEDY IN PHOTOS

Flight MH17, with 298 passengers and crew members, was en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam when it crashed in eastern Ukraine on July 17, believed to have been shot down by a missile.

In another development, Khalid said police would detain Malaysians planning to join the 'Islamic State' (IS) in Syria and Iraq as this was against the law.

"With regard to those planning to go to Iraq and Syria even via third countries, we have obtained their details and have shared them with Interpol and Aseanapol," he said.

The media had reported that three Malaysians were detained at the KL International Airport on suspicion of planning to go to Syria to join the IS struggle.

Earlier, Khalid witnessed a handing-over and receipt of duties between Bukit Aman Police Internal Security and Public Order (KDNKA) acting director, SAC Datuk Amer Awal and General Operations Force deputy director, DCP Datuk Muhammad Fuad Abu Zarim who was appointed as the new KDNKA director with the acting rank of Senior DCP.

Amer is now the Bukit Aman KDNKA Department's General Policing deputy director.

Meanwhile, Crime Prevention and Community Security Department (JPJKK) deputy director, DCP Datuk Wan Ahmad Najmudin Mohd handed over his duties to Perak police chief, Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani who was appointed as Bukit Aman JPJKK new director with the rank of Commissioner of Police (CP).