Relief for families of MH17 victims

KUALA LUMPUR — For the next of kin of Malaysians who died in the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 tragedy five years ago, the naming of the four suspects linked to the downing of the aircraft has brought a degree of closure to their pain.

The announcement by a Dutch-led investigation team that the four suspects will face murder charges for the downing of the airliner over eastern Ukraine in July 2014 has come as a relief for them.

Mdm Mariam Yusof, 50, the widow of MH17 Captain Wan Amran Wan Hussin, said the announcement had brought comfort to her and their two children.

However, she said it had not changed anything.

“I’m glad that those responsible for the killings are identified. I hope that they will soon be charged accordingly.

“Although, it does not change the reality, at least our families can get comfort from it.”

Mdm Mariam said although it had been almost five years since the incident, the loss of her husband had not been made easier with time.

“We miss him dearly,” she told the New Straits Times.

Mdm Mariam Yusof, 50, the widow of MH17 Captain Wan Amran Wan Hussin.

Mdm Mariam said MAS had earlier contacted her to inquire whether the family wanted to be in the Netherlands when the joint investigation team (JIT) made the announcement, but she declined.

“We figured it would be better if my children and I remained here and watched the live proceedings, or wait for information from MAS,” she said, thanking the airline for being in constant contact with the families.

She praised JIT and the authorities involved in the investigation for their commitment and effort in identifying those responsible for the shooting down of the airliner.

“Like me, I believe many other families who lost their loved ones in the incident can now heave a sigh of relief after knowing justice will be served.

“The other victims’ families and I have waited a long time to find out who did it. I hope those behind this are arrested soon and are given the punishment they deserve,” she said.

In Kuching, Sarawak, Mdm Madzalina Ghazalee, a sister of one of the victims, Ariza Ghazalee, said the announcement was long awaited by her family.

She said they had sought development on the case via the MH17 Family Care network.

The announcement, she said, came as a blessing.

The family lost six family members in the tragedy.

“We are relieved. We have been waiting for this for a long time.

“At least we know who was behind this tragedy,” she said at Masjid Al-Ghazali in Kuching on Wednesday (June 19).

The mosque was built with compensation funds given to the next of kin of the family of six.

The deceased were Tambi Jiee, 49; his wife, Ariza Ghazalee, 46; and their four children, Muhammad Afif, 19, Muhammad Afzal, 17, Marsha Azmeena, 15, and Muhammad Afruz, 13.

Meanwhile, Ariza’s brother, Mr Zamzuri Ghazalee, hoped that the court would mete out an appropriate punishment to the culprits responsible for the tragedy, which claimed the lives of 292 passengers and crew members.

“The names of the four main suspects have been announced. Like other next of kin, our family also wishes to see the accused face punishment.

“We lost six of our family members due to this heinous act,” he said.

Mdm Madzalina and Mr Zamzuri said although they were unable to follow the proceedings in the Netherlands, they would continue to keep tabs on the developments via information channelled by M17 Family Care, based in Kuala Lumpur.

In Alor Gajah, Mdm Maimoun Sarpan, 79, expressed relief over the announcement.

Mdm Maimoun’s son, Mohamad Ghafar Abu Bakar, was among the MAS crew members on the flight.

She said she never stopped wondering about the people responsible for the deaths, and why they did it.

“The trial will drag on. It will never end,” she told Malaysian Berita Harian at her home in Kampung Sri Tanjung, Masjid Tanah, on Wednesday.

She said she had always told her son to take care of himself on his trips.

She added that she had previously asked Ghafar for his thoughts on the MH370 tragedy.

“He told me that it was possible that he would go that way as well. I told him, ‘you can’t leave me and die like that’. Not long after, what we spoke about came true.”

MH17 was shot down on July 17, 2014, over territory held by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Everyone on board was killed.

A joint investigation team formed by Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine established that the jetliner was shot down by a Russian missile.

Yesterday, the investigation team said three Russians and a Ukrainian would face murder charges for the incident.

The Dutch-led international team tasked with assigning criminal responsibility for the plane’s destruction named the four suspects as Russians Sergey Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Igor Girkin, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko.

It said international arrest warrants for the four had been issued. NEW STRAITS TIMES