Indonesia Demands Trial of Party Responsible for MH17 Tragedy

By Ageng Wibowo Jakarta (Antara) - Indonesia demands trial of the party responsible for the Malaysian Airlines MH17 flight downed in eastern Ukraine on Thursday (July 17), Indonesia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Desra Percaya stated. "Indonesia demands the trial of the responsible party for the MH17 tragedy," Ambassador Desra Percaya noted in a press release received here on Tuesday. Desra added that the handling of the bodies of the crash victims must be done in an honorable and professional manner. "The bodies of the victims also need to be sent home without any further delay" Desra emphasized. Desra conveyed his statement during the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on July 21, 2014, shortly after the adoption of Resolution No. S/RES/2166 (2014) on the Malaysian Airlines MH17 crash. This resolution has been adopted by consensus and is co-sponsored by 13 members of the UNSC and the countries whose citizens have fallen victims, including Indonesia. The UNSC's resolution condemns the shooting down of the MH17 aircraft and called for a full, thorough, and independent international investigation to be immediately carried out. The UNSC also offered its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and urged for the guarantee and security of the investigating authorities and giving complete access to the crash site. This resolution was passed after several meetings of the UNSC, including an emergency meeting on Friday (July 18), a day after the MH17 aircraft crash. The meeting was adjourned on Sunday (July 20) till Monday morning on (July 21). Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 Boeing 777-200 ER departed from the Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Thursday (July 17) at 12:18 local time carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew members on board. The flight lost contact while it was in the eastern Ukrainian airspace, but it was then discovered that the plane was shot down by a ground-to-air missile. (*)