We’ll never forget MH17 victims: Malaysia PM

Kuala Lumpur, July 17 (IANS) On the second anniversary of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17’s downing, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on Sunday vowed the government will continue its efforts to obtain a clear explanation on the tragedy.

"The Malaysian government continues all efforts to find a full and satisfactory explanation of the events that led to this tragedy," he posted on Twitter.

Najib said that the tragedy two years ago was a criminal act that outraged the world and caused the loss of all 298 lives on board, The Malaysia Star daily reported.

The Dutch Safety Board concluded last year in its final report that Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a Russian-made Buk missile.

"We will never forget the passengers and crew, nor the grief of the victims’ families. Our thoughts and prayers are with them," the daily reported citing Najib as saying.

The Boeing 777-200ER airliner was shot down en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, over a conflict zone in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said Malaysia was committed to bringing the criminals to justice, and identifying the perpetrators was the primary objective.

He said with the Joint Investigation Team (JIT)'s criminal investigations ongoing, the government hoped to receive the preliminary conclusion on the forensic research, including the type of weapon used and other pertinent details, later this year, the daily noted.

He also called for strengthening international cooperation to improve security standards in civil aviation, including the implementation of real time global tracking of commercial aircraft as well as addressing the risks to civil aviation arising from conflict zones.