MH17: Malaysian Missions In South Asia Observe Day Of Mourning

By M. Saraswathi NEW DELHI (India), Aug 22 (Bernama) -- Malaysian missions in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka observed Malaysia's day of national mourning on Friday in honour of the victims of the MH17 tragedy by flying the national flag at half-mast. The Malaysian government had declared Aug 22 as a day of national mourning as the remains of first 20 Malaysian victims of the tragedy were flown to Kuala Lumpur. "In accordance with the declaration, all Malaysian diplomatic missions have been instructed to fly the national flag at half-mast today (Friday)," said Malaysia's High Commissioner to India Naimun Ashakli Mohammad. Malaysia's High Commissioner to Bangladesh Norlin Othman said the mission had been flying the flag at half-mast since midnight. "We pray for the souls of the departed passengers and hope the families will find closure. As Malaysians, we are proud of our national airline and will continue to support Malaysia Airlines," she told Bernama. "At our Consulate General in Karachi, Pakistan, the Jalur Gemilang is flying at half-mast to observe the mourning. We offer our deepest condolences to the family members of the MH17 crash victims," said Malaysia's Consul General in Karachi, Abu Bakar Mamat. Referring to what he said was a tragic year for Malaysia Airlines, he said "I have full confidence that the airline can salvage its brand and quickly restore customers' confidence". Flight MH17 crashed in Ukraine on July 17 as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers and 15 crew on board. The Boeing 777-200 aircraft is believed to have been shot down over the troubled country. Besides Malaysians, nationals from the Netherlands, Australia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, the Philippines, Canada and New Zealand were among the 298 people on board. --BERNAMA