Amsterdam to host 10th commemoration of MH17 tragedy

KUALA LUMPUR: July 14 marks a decade since the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014, which claimed the lives of all 298 people on board, including 80 children.

As a tribute to those who perished in the devastating tragedy, the 10th commemoration will be held on July 17 at the National Monument MH17 at Park Vijfhuizen near Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, according to the Netherlands Embassy in Malaysia.

Five Malaysian media representatives including from Bernama, have been invited to participate in the remembrance programme that will take place over three days from July 15.

The programme includes events and site visits designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the ongoing efforts and cooperation between the Netherlands and Malaysia in the aftermath of the MH17 disaster.

According to Bernama, an interview session will be scheduled with Digna van Boetzelaer, former chief public prosecutor at the Public Prosecution Service, District Public Prosecutor’s Office in North Holland, on the first day.

She led the prosecution and criminal investigation into the downing of Flight MH17.

Interviews will also be arranged with the victims’ next of kin, as well as visits to the reconstruction of the plane in the military base in Gilze-Rijen, central Netherlands.

“Apart from the next of kin, almost 1,500 people from across the world will gather for the ceremony. The pain of their (the victims) passing is still felt intensely today by their families and friends all over the world,” the embassy said in a statement.

“As we approach 10 years since this tragedy, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine wish to underline that we remain steadfast in our commitment to achieving truth, justice and accountability for the victims of the downing of Flight MH17 and their next of kin.

“Those who have been left behind deserve closure. They need to know that everything that can be done has been done to prevent these tragedies from happening in the future,” it added.

Flight MH17 was downed by a BUK missile while flying over the conflict-hit eastern Ukraine. The victims came from 17 countries and included 198 Dutch nationals, 43 Malaysians, 38 Australians, and 10 from the United Kingdom.

On Nov 17, 2022, the Hague District Court sentenced in absentia two Russians and a Ukrainian to life in prison after finding them guilty on charges of causing the downing of MH17 and the murder of all 298 people on board.

They are Russians Igor Girkin and Sergei Dubinsky and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko. However, the court acquitted another Russian, Oleg Pulatov, of the same charges.

The court also ordered the three men to pay more than €16mil in compensation to the victims’ next of kin.