PM Najib, Wife Observe A Moment Of Silence At Hilversum

From Mohd Razman Abdullah HILVERSUM (The Netherlands), Aug 1 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor observed a moment of silence at the entrance of a military facility here, where the remains of victims of the Malaysia Airline (MAS) Flight MH17 tragedy are undergoing the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) process. Najib and Rosmah, who were in a black suit and Malay traditional costume of baju kurung respectively, spent several minutes there before they went inside the facility for a briefing by the Dutch National Crisis Centre on the overall process of identification of human remains. Also present were Malaysia's Health Minister Dr S. Subramaniam, Deputy Foreign Minister Hamzah Zainuddin and Ambassador to the Netherlands, Dr Fauziah Mohamad Taib. The MAS flight, MH17, was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it went down in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine near the Russian border on July 17. The Boeing 777-200 aircraft which was carrying 298 people - 283 passengers and 15 crew - was believed to have been shot down, but until today no one has claimed responsibility. A total of 195 Dutch nationals were on board the flight. Earlier in The Hague, Najib and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte had called for immediate cessation of hostilities in and around the crash site, lest such tension escalates into war between the Ukrainian government and the separatist groups. Najib said both countries also asked that all sides, the Ukraine government and separatists, respect the lives lost and integrity of the site, so that the investigation into the disaster may proceed. Later Thursday, Najib and his wife will be hosting a dinner for the Malaysian investigation team members in Amsterdam at 7.30 pm local time (1.30am Malaysia time). --BERNAMA