Thursday, 29 September 2016 - 07:42
Relatives satisfied with MH17 conclusions
Relatives and friends of people who died in flight MH17 are generally satisfied with the investigation results the Joint Investigation Team revealed on Wednesday. The JIT revealed that flight MH17 was shot down by a BUK missile transported from Russia to a pro-Russian separatist controlled field and then back to Russia again.
Peter Bats, father of victim Rowen Bats, attended the special meeting for relatives held before the press conference on Wednesday. "These are things we all already knew, aren't they?" he said to De Stentor. He's not yet sure how to feel. "I want it to sink in a bit first. It's a lot of information." He does still have faith in the investigation "I do believe that the team and government will do everything they can. But at some point there has to be support. Then we will see what the political, economic and diplomatic interests are."
Piet Ploeg, who lost his brother Alex, sister-in-law Edith and nephew Robert in the disaster, was also at the meeting. He is shocked by the amount of convincing evidence the team has. "I did not expect it would come out so soon", he said to RTL Nieuws. He doesn't know whether the perpetrators will ever be prosecuted. But "it is especially important that the world knows who is responsible for the attack."
Sigrid Huisman lost her best friend Tamara Ernst when the Malaysia Airlines flight was shot down. "I watched the press conference on television", she said to De Stentor. "I think it was very intense, but what a beautiful image!" She is especially pleased with the incontrovertible evidence the JIT presented. "We knew already, of course. It would be foolish to deny it. Now it is confirmed that the Russians are behind it, while they've denied it the whole time."
Huisman is also impressed that so many persons of interest are in the picture. The fact that the investigators have 100 people in mind! Is ht not incredible? I really hope sincerely that we can find the person who pressed the button or gave the order. And that we can get him in court. That he's not already dead or something." she said to the newspaper. "And I'm actually confident that Rutte and Timmermans will do their best, that our country is not fooling around with this."