Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak (right) greets Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek at last year’s Hari Raya open house at Seri Perdana in Putrajaya. The open house this year has been cancelled out of respect for the victims aboard MH17. – The Malaysian Insider pic, July 24, 2014.
The Prime Minister's Hari Raya open house scheduled for next Monday has been cancelled out of respect for the 298 passengers on board flight MH17 who were killed when the plane was shot down near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine last Thursday.
The decision was taken at today's Cabinet meeting, said Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, minister in the prime minister's department.
"The Cabinet meeting today has decided to cancel the PM's Hari Raya open house scheduled to be held on the first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri at his residence to mark the mourning of the victims of the MH17 tragedy," said Wee in a Whatsapp message.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his cabinet members usually have their annual Hari Raya open house at the prime minister's official residence in Putrajaya.
Popular among Malaysians and foreign tourists, the open house usually attracts thousands.
It is believed this is the first time Putrajaya had cancelled an open house.
The ill-fated Malaysia Airlines Boeing jetliner was en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam but it was shot down with what was believed to be a Russian-made SA-11 surface-to-air missile near the war-torn region in eastern Ukraine.
Those responsible for downing the jet have yet to be identified, with Russian and Ukrainian authorities blaming each other and pro-Russian separatists for the disaster.
While world leaders were bickering who should be held responsible for the crash, Najib engaged pro-Russian separatist leader Alexander Borodai in "secret talks" which led to the separatists handing over the bodies of the victims and the black boxes from the plane.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Najib's negotiation with Borodai led to a deal "that achieved what more powerful nations, including Russia, could not".
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Najib's negotiation with Borodai led to a deal "that achieved what more powerful nations, including Russia, could not".
The deal also entailed that all international investigations are given access to the crash site and that their safety are guaranteed.
Najib's actions in handling this disaster had earned him plaudits from both Malaysians and aboard, and Putrajaya revealed yesterday it did not enter into any deal, beyond what was agreed, to kickstart the recovery of MH17.
Najib today said the remains of the 43 Malaysians are very likely not able to make it home before Hari Raya.
- TMI
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.