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16 July 2015
- From the section Australia
Australia is to hold a memorial service to mark the anniversary of the MH17 air disaster over Ukraine, in which 298 people, including 39 Australians, died.
A plaque with victims’ names will be unveiled in the gardens of Parliament House in Canberra.
The Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it crashed on 17 July 2014.
The West believes there is evidence the plane was hit by a Russian-supplied missile fired by pro-Russian rebels.
Russia denies this, blaming Ukrainian government forces for the disaster in the eastern Donetsk region.
Sunflower mementoes for the families
Australian lawmakers have interrupted their mid-year holidays to take part in the national memorial service in the capital.
Ahead of the ceremony, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said that “there were 298 innocent people on this aircraft and their deaths offend our sense of justice”.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop reiterated that the global community was determined to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten and retired Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston – who led Australia’s efforts to identify and repatriate the bodies of the victims – are also expected to address Friday’s ceremony.
After the memorial, Mr Abbott will meet victims’ families and friends.
Memorial ceremonies will also be held in Ukraine and the Netherlands on Friday.
In the Dutch city of Nieuwegen, the names of all the victims will be read aloud by their family members.
In Malaysia, a memorial service was held in Kuala Lumpur on 11 July – because the anniversary of the disaster comes at the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Each victim was named and then honoured with a moment of silence.
‘Politicised coverage’
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected calls by Australia, the Netherlands, Malaysia and Ukraine to establish a UN tribunal to prosecute suspects.
The Kremlin said in a statement that Mr Putin had “explained Russia’s position regarding the premature and counter-productive initiatives of several countries, including The Netherlands, on the establishment of an international tribunal”.
It also criticised what it said was politicised media coverage of the disaster.
A final report on the cause of the crash is due to be released in October by the Dutch Safety Board. The Netherlands is leading the criminal investigation and is being assisted by Belgium, Australia and Ukraine.
The Malaysia Airlines’ passenger list showed flight MH17 was carrying 193 Dutch nationals (including one with dual US nationality), 43 Malaysians (including 15 crew), 27 Australians, 12 Indonesians and 10 Britons (including one with dual South African citizenship).
