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Friday, July 18, 2014

Anwar: Bring MH17 mass murderers to justice


Day 1

Latest developments:
  • Flights over eastern Ukraine barred

  • MAS shares dive, three-week low

  • Donetsk allows access to crash site

  • MAS says all European flights to take alternative route

  • MAS now says 298 onboard - 43 Malaysians
Follow us as we bring the latest updates and coverage on Flight MH17:

[More to follow]

Actor flayed for MAS joke

10.54am: Hollywood actor Jason Biggs is facing heat after cracking unfunny joke on Twitter just hours after the MH17 tragedy, earning him a trashing from netizens.

According to Huffington Post, the American Pie actor tweeted: "Anyone want to buy my Malaysian Airlines frequent flier miles?"

However, he did follow this up with another tweet: "It's saddest for the victims and their families, obviously. But Malaysia Airlines is apparently a GREAT airline. Gonna be tough to recover.”

But this did little to put out the fire. Biggs, however, turns out his accusers, saying his joke did not mean he did not empathise with those affected by the crisis.

"Truly- you losers are literally trying to find shit to get angry about. Channel your issues elsewhere," Biggs writes.

Liow assumes command

10.26am: In his first big test as transport minister after taking over from Hishammuddin Husseinlast month, Liow Tiong Lai (left) will take charge of the MH17 matter.

He tells The Star that he was busy in Beijing on MH370 matters but has dropped it for the sake of MH17.

"I am checking with MAS. I will be back in Malaysia today and take charge. I am here (Beijing) to talk about MH370 but since this has happened I will have to rush back," he says last night.

He was expected to have arrived back in Kuala Lumpur at 7am today.

Anwar: MH17 tragedy is 'mass murder'

10.15am: Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim calls on calls on perpetrators of this "mass murder" to be brought to justice.

"We condemn this act of terrorism and urge the international authorities to conduct a full and independent investigation and to bring to justice the perpetrators of this mass murder,” he says in a statement expressing his sadness at the downing of MAS flight MH17.

"Our deepest condolences go to the relatives and loved ones of the 298 passengers and crew who perished in this horrific mid-air disaster.

“We call on MAS and the Malaysian authorities to do their utmost in handling the disaster and in particular be utterly sensitive to the feelings and totally responsive to the needs of the families and loved ones."

Ukranian gov't 'working round the clock' to investigate

10am: The Ukranian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin says his government is working "in extremely high pace round the clock" on the case.   

Bernama reports Klimkin saying this during a briefing at Government House in Kiev, according to the Ukrainian government's website. 

"Experts involved in the investigation of this case are working around the clock. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) will work closely with the Emergency Ministry.   

"We have created in the MFA a special line for anyone who would like to get more information on that (tragedy),” he adds.   

Klimkin also expressed deepest condolences to relatives and friends of everyone who was on board the plane.     -

"It’s indeed an extremely tragic event we’re all experiencing now. It’s the third case in recent days after two Ukrainian planes -Antonov-26 and SU-25 - were shot down from the Russian territory,” says the minister.

He also say that Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has ordered the setting up of a special governmental commission to investigate the circumstances of the tragedy. 

15 years since last shootdown

Bernama lists major commercial airliners shot down over the last 40 years prior to last night's:   
  • February 21, 1973: Libyan Airlines Flight 114 from Tripoli to Cairo shot down over Sinai Peninsula by Israeli F-4 Phantom II fighters, killing 113 people on board.     

  • September 1, 1983: A total of 269 passengers and crew of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 were killed after the flight was shot down by a Soviet Su-15TM fighter aircraft near Moneron Island, west of Sakhalin Island, in the Sea of Japan. The aircraft was flying from Anchorage to Seoul.      

  • July 3, 1988: A total of 290 passengers and crew of Iran Air Flight 655 were killed after the plane was shot down by the United States Navy guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes. The attack took place in Iranian airspace, over Iran's territorial waters in the Persian Gulf. The plane was flying from Tehran to Dubai.      

  • September 29, 1998: Lionair Flight LN 602, operated by an Antonov An-24RV, fell into the sea off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka under mysterious circumstances, killing the 47 passengers and crew. However, some reports said it was shot down by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels.    

Europe reroutes flights

9.46am: The Guardian reports that Flight MH17 was cruising 300metres above restricted airspace when it was believed to have been struck down by a missile.

Eurocontrol, the European air traffic control body, says the passenger jet was travelling “open” airspace at 33,000 feet.

However, it claims this was still still within range of “sophisticated ground-to-air weaponry”.

The Guardian further quotes the agency as saying all flights in eastern Ukraine have been barred from the area.

The report also reveals that British airlines obtained the “all-clear” to fly overhead the same area a month ago, as “operations were ‘normal’ in the region”.

“A notice posted by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on 14 June urged carriers to avoid overflying Crimea and parts of southern Ukraine a month ago due to safety concerns, but they were not ordered to avoid the rest of the country,” reports The Guardian.

9.30am: Malaysian Aids Council’s Joselyn Pang pays tribute to International Aids Society (IAS) former president Joep Lange (right), one of 298 that lost their live on board Flight MH17.

"I remember a very soft-spoken gentleman, kind and strong in his conviction to fight for treatment access for people living with HIV. A great loss to his family, friends and peers," says Pang, who heads the council’s Global Fund Project Management unit.

"I am sitting down in silence, tears, digesting the news. And a silent moment to all the lives, who somehow made a difference and impact to others, no less than the person I know.”

MAS shares tumble

9.10am: MAS shares tumble today following the news of the MH17 crash yesterday.

Reuters reports that share slid 15.6 per cent, a three-week low.

“Shares of the national carrier were trading at 19 sen per share at 101 GMT, while the broader index was down 0.5 per cent,” it reports.

8.53am: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) says it will only release the passenger manifest once the families have been informed.
"We are in the process of notifying  next-of-kin. Once all have been notified, the passenger's manifest will be released," reads its tweet.

Prominent aids researcher among dead

8.50am: Former International Aids Society (IAS) president Joep Lange is among one of the passengers confirmed dead in the Flight MH17 tragedy.

According to The West Australian, Lange was part of a group of delegates heading for the 20th annual international Aids conference in Melbourne, slated to begin on Sunday.

Putin: Ukraine solely responsible

8.30am: Russian President Vladamir Putin says Ukraine bears "sole responsibility" for MH17's crash, saying it would not have happened if Ukraine did not renew military operations against pro-Russian separatists in the region.

"Without doubt the government of the territory on which it happened bears responsibility for this frightening tragedy,"Foreign Policy (FP) magazine quotes him as saying, adding that he pledges to assist investigations.

Meanwhile, the same report quotes the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Aleksandr Boroday, saying he is committed to an impartial investigation and would allow foreign investigators to inspect the crash site.

His deputy had earlier said that MH17's black boxes would be handed to Russia.

Germany: Grant immediate access to crash site

8.13am: Germany’s leaders are demanding an independant international probe into the tragedy.

Reuters reports German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier making the call today, where Steinmeier saying: "If this news (of plane being shot down) is confirmed, she (Merkel) said it would represent a further tragic escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.”

Steinmeier also says separatists must grant emergency and security services access to the crash site.

"I'm horrified by the news from eastern Ukraine. With hundreds of completely innocent people having died in this terrible way, words fail you," he reportedly says.

Meanwhile UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also joins the call for an independent probe.

FP quotes him saying that he is closely monitoring the reports, “along with the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency".

"For the moment, I offer my deep condolences to families and loved ones of the victims and people of Malaysia," Ban says.

43 Malaysians onboard

7.30am: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) announces that all its European flights will be taking alternative routes and avoiding the usual route.

“The usual flight route was earlier declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. International Air Transportation Association has stated that the airspace the aircraft was traversing was not subject to restrictions,” MAS maintains in a statement.

The airlines, reeling from its second tragedy in four months, also confirms the ill-fated aircraft did not make any distress call prior to the crash.

Also, it clarifies that there were 298 people on board Flight MH17, comprising 283 passengers “including three infants of various nationalities” and 15 crew members.

Of these, it now says there were 43 Malaysians on board, including the crew and two infants.

“Malaysia Airlines is deploying its 'Go Team' to Amsterdam  with a group of caregivers and volunteers to assist the family members of the passengers.”

It says families of passengers and crew may contact +603 7884 1234 (Malaysia) or +31703487770(Netherlands).

Separatist leader boasted of shooting plane

7am: At about the time contact was lost with MH17, pro-Russian separatist leader Igor Strelkov reportedly gloated about shooting down a Ukrainian AN-26 transport jet.

However, his posting said the shoot-down was made at 5.50pm Moscow time (9.50pm Malaysian time), 25 minutes before contact was lost with MH17 at 10.15pm (Malaysian time).

The posting was made on the Russian social networking siteVKontakte.

“Strelkov's page claimed responsibility for taking down a Ukrainian jet and posted and accompanying video that shows smoke rising from what is now believed to be the crash site of the passenger jet…

“That post now appears to have been removed,” Foreign Policy (FP) magazine reports on its blog.

The report adds that Strelkov is now claiming that his troops are not responsible for shooting down MH17 and is not capable of downing an aircraft flying at its altitude.

Hisham: We will find culprits

5.30am: Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein says the Malaysian military have been instructed to verify reports from Russia that MH17 was down by as the plane flew over Ukranian airspace.

“No confirmation it (MH17) was shot down! Our military have been instructed to get on it,” he posted on Twitter late last night.

In a more recent posting, the minister vow to bring those responsible to justice, should the claim is found to be true.

“MH17: If indeed our plane was brought down, those responsible WILL be brought to justice!,” he tweets.

Background:

  • A Malaysian passenger airliner with 298 people on boardcrashed in Ukraine late yesterday.
     
  • The Boeing 777-200 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur and was due to arrive at 6am this morning.
     
  • Reports also claimed that the plane could have been hit by a missile as it flew over a conflict zone.
     
  • However, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak says it has yet to confirm if the jetliner was shot down but vows a full investigation and "swift justice".

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