MH17: MAS to settle payments to remaining next-of-kin soon, says Liow

IPOH: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will swiftly pay the families who have yet to be compensated for the deaths of their loved ones who were on-board flight MH17.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (pic) said he hoped the payments could hopefully be made before the one-year anniversary of the tragedy.

“To my understanding, only a few families have not received their compensation.

“The reason being that we need to determine who are the rightful beneficiaries,” Liow told reporters after opening the Gopeng MCA division annual general meeting here on Sunday.

Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukrainian air space on July 17, last year.

All 298 people on board the flight were killed.

The plane was believed to have been shot down by a surface-to-air missile launched by pro-Russian forces in Ukrainian territory. Russia has, however, denied this.

The Netherlands whose citizens made up almost two-thirds of the victims is leading an international investigation into the disaster and has vowed to prosecute those responsible.

Liow also urged the United Nations (UN) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to ensure justice for Malaysia by making sure investigators of the tragedy worked fast to come up with a report on the incident and identify the culprits responsible.