MH17 crash: Malaysian police team in Ukraine

The Hague , July 31 (IANS) A team of 68 Malaysian police personnel arrived in Kiev Thursday to work together with Dutch and Australian teams to help secure access to the Malyasia Airlines crash site, Prime Minister Najib Razak said Thursday.

"Malaysia fully supports the international investigation, and we are grateful to the Netherlands for their lead role in the international team," Razak said during a joint press briefing in the Netherlands with the host country's Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Repatriating the remains of victims as fast as possible is a shared priority, Razak said.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed July 17 in the eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board. The dead included 193 Dutch nationals and 27 Australians.

Reports indicated that the Boeing 777 crashed after being hit by a missile. US President Barack Obama said initial investigations showed that the missile was fired from an area in Ukraine controlled by anti-Kiev militants.

"Malaysian experts were already helping here in the Netherlands with the painstaking task of identification - and we stand ready to provide more assistance if required," he said in his statement.

"On behalf of Malaysia, I would like to thank Rutte and the Dutch people for all they have done, and continue to do, for the victims of this senseless and tragic act," he said.

"Our other priority is to ensure the international investigators are given full and unfettered access to the site, so that they may collect evidence and carry out their vital work. Only then will we be able to find out what happened to the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17," Razak stated.

"If we can find out what happend to the flight only then can we achieve justice for the victims and their families."