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Calls mount for justice over MH17


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Calls mount for justice over MH17
Agence France-Presse

Grabove, Ukraine: -- World leaders demand thorough investigation, want those responsible to be tried if jet found to have been shot down; rebels to allow access to site

Global demands mounted yesterday to find those responsible for apparently shooting down a Malaysian airliner over rebel-held eastern Ukraine as relatives around the world mourned the deaths of the 298 people on board.

Local emergency crews picked through carnage at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, placing dozens of sticks with white rags in the ground to mark where bodies lay.

The Boeing 777 came down in cornfields in the separatist-held region on Thursday, spraying debris and body parts for kilometres around, with the United States claiming it was shot down in a missile attack.

Kiev accused pro-Russian separatists battling Ukrainian forces of committing a "terrorist act" as stunned world leaders urged a full investigation into the disaster, which could further fan the flames of the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War.

The US demanded an "unimpeded" international inquiry into the tragedy and rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's charge that Ukraine's crackdown on separatist rebels stoked tensions that led to the crash.

"While we do not yet have all the facts, we do know that this incident occurred in the context of a crisis in Ukraine that is fuelled by Russian support for the separatists, including through arms, materiel, and training," the White House said in a statement.

The father of one MH17 stewardess wept as he expressed the vain hope his daughter could be alive. "We are just hoping she survived even though we know many are dead... We pray that somehow she is safe and comes home," Salleh Samsudin, 54, said of 31-year-old Nur Shazana Salleh on Malaysian television.

One devastated relative told how her sister Ninik Yuriani, 56 - of Indonesian descent but a Dutch national - was on her way to Jakarta to celebrate the Muslim festival Eid.

"My family is now gathered at my sister's house in Jakarta. We've decided to keep this from my mother. She's so old and weak, I don't think she can take it," Enny Nuraheni, 54, said.

In the Netherlands, tears welled up in the eyes of Sander Essers, who lost several relatives in the crash, as he said he had spoken to his brother just 20 minutes before he boarded.

"I can't tell you what he told me."

Scores of mutilated corpses and body parts were strewn around the smouldering wreckage in the village of Grabove, near the Russian border. Shocked residents of the village said the crash impact felt "like an earthquake".

Malaysia Airlines said 283 passengers and 15 crew were aboard the plane - including at least 173 Dutch nationals, 43 Malaysians, 28 Australians and 12 Indonesians.

As many as 100 of those killed were delegates heading to Australia for a global Aids conference, the Sydney Morning Herald said.

Australian PM Tony Abbott said the crash was "not an accident, but a crime" and blasted Russia's response as "deeply unsatisfactory".

Local rescue workers at the scene said at least one of the plane's black boxes had been found and mediators said rebels had committed to allowing international investigators "safe access" to the site, as President Barack Obama has warned against tampering with evidence among scattered debris.

Interpol offered its "full assistance" to help identify and repatriate corpses.

The UN Security Council called an emergency session yesterday to discuss the disaster and British Prime Minister David Cameron called a crisis meeting of top officials.

Comments attributed to a pro-Russian rebel chief suggested his men may have downed the plane by mistake, believing it to be a Ukrainian army transport aircraft. Ukraine released recordings of what they said was an intercepted call between an insurgent commander and a Russian intelligence officer, as they realised they had shot down a passenger liner.

However, the rebels accused the Ukrainian military of shooting down the plane and Russia's defence ministry said yesterday it had data indicating that a Ukrainian missile system was operating in the area.

Putin has said Ukraine bears responsibility for the crash and said it underscored the need for a "peaceful settlement" to the Ukraine crisis in talks with Dutch PM Mark Rutte.

The disaster comes just months after Malaysia Airline's Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8 with 239 on board.

"This is a tragic day, in what has already been a tragic year, for Malaysia," Malaysian PM Najib Razak told reporters early yesterday after announcing an "immediate investigation".

Separatist leader Alexander Borodai agreed to allow investigators access to the crash site but said there was "no question of a ceasefire".

Two US officials said that intelligence analysts were reviewing the data to see whether the missile used to down the aircraft was launched by pro-Moscow separatists, Russian troops across the border or Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk alleged yesterday that the rebels' Russian backers had gone "too far" and called for those behind the tragedy to be tried in The Hague.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Calls-mount-for-justice-over-MH17-30238945.html

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-- The Nation 2014-07-19

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Investigators barred from MH17 crash site

Investigators tasked with uncovering the truth behind the MH17 disaster face an uphill battle, with reports that the crash site is still being controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

It has been reported that the rebels are restricting access to the crash site in Ukraine.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) sent 20 observers to the crash site.

http://www.9news.com.au/world/2014/07/19/06/09/rebels-controlling-access-to-mh17-crash-site

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Investigators barred from MH17 crash site

Investigators tasked with uncovering the truth behind the MH17 disaster face an uphill battle, with reports that the crash site is still being controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

It has been reported that the rebels are restricting access to the crash site in Ukraine.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) sent 20 observers to the crash site.

http://www.9news.com.au/world/2014/07/19/06/09/rebels-controlling-access-to-mh17-crash-site

The crime scene has already been compromised.

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Why was MH17 flying over near/over a war zone?

The management/owners of Malay Airlines are responsible for putting the passengers/crew in danger. Whilst they are not guilty of actually destroying the plane, just like they were not responsible directly for MH370, the level of incompetence and arrogance of the owners/management is unbelievable for NOT rerouting their flights. It is time to shut these cowboy airlines down.

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Why was MH17 flying over near/over a war zone?

The management/owners of Malay Airlines are responsible for putting the passengers/crew in danger. Whilst they are not guilty of actually destroying the plane, just like they were not responsible directly for MH370, the level of incompetence and arrogance of the owners/management is unbelievable for NOT rerouting their flights. It is time to shut these cowboy airlines down.

Though I agree that it was irresponsible to fly MH17 over a war zone they weren't the only plane to fly over there. There we 55 other flights also from various airlines. Further, why do you call Malaysian Air a "cowboy airline"? Until recently, they have long been a respected airline in the world of travellers.

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Investigators barred from MH17 crash site

Investigators tasked with uncovering the truth behind the MH17 disaster face an uphill battle, with reports that the crash site is still being controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

It has been reported that the rebels are restricting access to the crash site in Ukraine.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) sent 20 observers to the crash site.

http://www.9news.com.au/world/2014/07/19/06/09/rebels-controlling-access-to-mh17-crash-site

The crime scene has already been compromised.

You would have to ask yourself, "If you had nothing to hide, then why would you compromise the CRIME scene?"

Evidence is mounting, this is an act of terrorism, an act of war, may the perpetrators and their hierarchy be dealt with using the most firm hand.

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There are so many unknowns here, that everyone needs to calm down and take stock of the situation. After 9/11 the Taliban were "found guilty" of involvement, which gave justification for the invasion of Afghanistan, but subsequently it was found they had nothing to do with the events in New York! Malaysian Airlines was using an air corridor that was being used by many other airlines routing east-west. Ironically, the Russian President's own jet flew through the same air way shortly before or after the Malaysian airliner. The East Ukrainians do not have the fire power to down a jet at FL 33, so it suggests they were not the culprits.Was the real target the Russian President's aircraft? The Dutch "Der Telegraaf" suggests it might have been. The Kiev regime has Buk air to ground missiles, they do have the capacity to shoot down an airliner. There is a huge amount of stuff going on here. It really looks as if the west is determined to start World War 3. Manufactured flash points include Ukraine, Gaza, Iraq and Syria. The real question from all this mayhem is "pro bono"? Who benefits? Personally, I am not looking forward to events in the coming week.

Also interesting is the report that they were not following their usual flight path, and instead were rerouted over the restricted air-space. So one question is why were they rerouted? (or is the report true?).

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Also interesting is the report that they were not following their usual flight path, and instead were rerouted over the restricted air-space. So one question is why were they rerouted? (or is the report true?).

Diverted 300 miles to avoid flying into a thunderstorm.

http://www.businessinsider.com/a-fateful-thunderstorm-may-have-doomed-flight-mh17-2014-7

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2014/07/17/wolf-vo-malaysia-airlines-mh17-impact.cnn.html

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US points to Ukraine separatists in downing of jet

GRABOVE, Ukraine - The United States on Friday built a case that pro-Moscow separatists downed a Malaysian airliner in Ukraine with a surface-to-air missile, killing all 298 people on board -- with the possible technical assistance of Russians.

The first international monitors struggled to gain access to the gruesome body-strewn crash site in rebel-held eastern Ukraine as rebels ruled out a cease-fire.

Grief over the tragedy meanwhile turned to fury and vows that justice would be done, as heart-rending stories emerged of the men, women and children aboard the doomed Boeing 777.

US President Barack Obama presented the latest conclusions of US intelligence analysts about the "unspeakable" carnage.

He cranked up political pressure on President Vladimir Putin to take action, and on Europe to do more to punish his escapades in Ukraine.

"Evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile that was launched from an area that is controlled by Russian-backed separatists inside of Ukraine," Obama said.

He avoided definitive conclusions about what exactly happened to Flight MH17, but said only a sophisticated missile could destroy a passenger jet flying at more than 30,000 feet.

He said previous attacks by separatists on government aircraft in Ukraine suggested rebels benefited from Russian technical expertise.

"A group of separatists can’t shoot down military transport planes, or they claim, shoot down fighter jets without sophisticated equipment and sophisticated training, and that is coming from Russia," Obama said.

Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the UN, said the complexity of the SA-11 missile Washington believes was used in the attack would likely preclude it being solely operated by separatist forces.

Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said: "It strains credulity that (the missile) can be used by separatists without some measure of Russian support and assistance."

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/US-points-to-Ukraine-separatists-in-downing-of-jet-30238947.html

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-- The Nation 2014-07-19

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Obama calls Cameron, Merkel, Abbott

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama spoke by phone on Friday with the leaders of Germany, Britain and Australia to discuss how to respond to the downing of a Malaysian jetliner in eastern Ukraine.

The calls to Chancellor Angela Merkel and prime ministers David Cameron and Tony Abbott came after Obama said the missile that Washington believes brought down the passenger plane came from rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine.

The calls to the three leaders all covered the disaster that befell flight MH17, deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes said.

In the call with Abbott, Obama offered condolences for the loss of Australians on board the jet, which was traveling between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur when it went down on Thursday.

"The two leaders discussed the importance of a prompt, full, unimpeded and transparent international investigation, and they stressed the need for immediate access by international investigators to the crash site," said a White House statement.

Obama earlier said that the apparent shooting down of the plane was a "wake up call," for Europe particularly, over the danger of the deepening crisis in Ukraine and the need to toughen sanctions against Russia, which Washington accuses of destabilizing the country.

Obama delivered a similar message in the calls to Cameron and Merkel.

Vice President Joe Biden was also working the phones to talk about the aftermath of the shooting down of the Malaysia jet, which killed all 298 people on board.

He spoke for the second day running with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Tusk and Biden noted that Russia was "supplying weapons and training - including anti-aircraft weapons -- to the separatists, with profoundly destabilizing consequences," a White House statement said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Obama-calls-Cameron-Merkel-Abbott-30238948.html

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-- The Nation 2014-07-19

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Rescue operation at Ukrainian crash zone hampered by rebels

Moscow/Kiev - More than 24 hours after the presumed downing of a Malaysian jet with 298 passengers on board over eastern Ukraine, the rescue operation in rebel-held territory was moving slowly Friday.

Members of Ukraine’s Emergency Situations Service were at the scene but armed separatists were complicating their efforts, officials said.

"They hinder the work of Ukrainian specialists and said they want to bring the flight recorders and the victims’ bodies to Russia," Serhiy Taruta, the Kiev-appointed governor of the Donetsk region, said in a statement.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said that separatists prevented a group of monitors from fully inspecting the site.

"They did not have the freedom of movement they need," Switzerland’s OSCE Ambassador Thomas Greminger said. He added that the observers would try to gain access again on Saturday.

A source close to the organization said that shots were fired in the vicinity of the 17 monitors.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that the victims’ bodies will be brought to a laboratory in Kharkiv, a city more than 250 kilometres north of the crash site, and far from rebel-held territory.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Rescue-operation-at-Ukrainian-crash-zone-hampered--30238949.html

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-- The Nation 2014-07-19

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Well we all know who is to blame . It doesn't matter just who gave the order or pulled the trigger.
But the one who has a 100 % responsability in this matter is Malasian airline.
You do not fly over war zones , civil unrest zone or the "weird " country's and regions.

In all the years flying from SE asia to europe and back have I thought many times : WTH are we flying over this region ?
From the 800 to over a 1000 euro for a ticket , they can sure affort a detour.
Fuel is only a small part of the ticket price. ( Why can Ryanair fly with profit 2000 km for 30 euro - or less- but we have to pay at least 800 for 20.000 km return ticket ?)
Malaysian should be forced to pay a 100 milion THB per life lost. Not the insurance , but the airline itself. Get it from the far overpaid management and the bulk from liquidating their assets : sell their planes and landing rights,...
That should teach the airlines to value life more !

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Launcher filmed on way to RussiaMH17: Suspected weapon missing one of its missiles

July 19, 2014: The Ukrainian government has released footage it claims shows a stolen Buk missile launcher with missiles missing, which could have been used to shoot down MH17.

http://www.9news.com.au/world/2014/07/19/08/58/stolen-missile-launcher-caught-on-film

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Obama should keep to the touch lines on this, his rhetoric is not that of justice but but politics.

The countries that should be involved are:

  1. Malaysia
  2. The Netherlands
  3. any other country who had nationals on the ill-fated flight.

Personally when it is proved who fired the missile of which I am certain it was the Russian backed rebels. I would hope all countries close their airspace to Russian flights but this is not what Obama wants, he is looking for sanctions that will favour American interests.

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Obama should keep to the touch lines on this, his rhetoric is not that of justice but but politics.

The countries that should be involved are:

  1. Malaysia
  2. The Netherlands
  3. any other country who had nationals on the ill-fated flight.

Personally when it is proved who fired the missile of which I am certain it was the Russian backed rebels. I would hope all countries close their airspace to Russian flights but this is not what Obama wants, he is looking for sanctions that will favour American interests.

An American was on the plane. Dual nationality.

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Malaysia PM's step-grandmother was on MH17

KUALA LUMPUR - Prime Minister Najib Razak's step-grandmother was on board the Malaysia Airlines passenger jet that crashed in violence-wracked Ukraine, the country's defence minister confirmed Saturday.

Hishammuddin Hussein, a cousin of Najib’s, said 83-year-old Sri Siti Amirah was "on the flight". Siti Amirah was also Hishammuddin’s step-grandmother.

"Pls pray 4 her," he wrote on his Twitter feed above a photo of her in an Islamic headscarf.

The defence minister’s tweet confirmed an earlier report in the Star newspaper that said Siti Amirah had embarked alone in Amsterdam on board flight MH17 en route to the Indonesian city of Jogjakarta.

She was scheduled to transit at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The Boeing 777 passenger jet carrying 298 people came down in flames late Thursday in cornfields in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine, with US officials saying it was shot down by a surface-to-air missile.

Siti Amirah, a native of Indonesia, was headed there to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, Islam’s biggest festival, at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Star report quoted a family spokeswoman as saying.

Both Malaysia and Indonesia are Muslim-majority countries.

"She was a very, very nice lady. A kind-hearted, beautiful woman. She was a homemaker who looked after my grandfather very well. We called her ’ibu’ (mother)," the family spokeswoman told the newspaper.

She was once married to Mohammad Noah Omar, Najib’s maternal grandfather, as his second wife.

Najib, 60, is the son of Malaysia’s second prime minister Abdul Razak, while Hishammuddin is the son of the country’s third premier Hussein Onn.

The mothers of Hishammuddin and Najib are siblings.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Malaysia-PMs-step-grandmother-was-on-MH17-30238952.html

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-- The Nation 2014-07-19

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Well we all know who is to blame . It doesn't matter just who gave the order or pulled the trigger.

But the one who has a 100 % responsability in this matter is Malasian airline.

You do not fly over war zones , civil unrest zone or the "weird " country's and regions.

In all the years flying from SE asia to europe and back have I thought many times : WTH are we flying over this region ?

From the 800 to over a 1000 euro for a ticket , they can sure affort a detour.

Fuel is only a small part of the ticket price. ( Why can Ryanair fly with profit 2000 km for 30 euro - or less- but we have to pay at least 800 for 20.000 km return ticket ?)

Malaysian should be forced to pay a 100 milion THB per life lost. Not the insurance , but the airline itself. Get it from the far overpaid management and the bulk from liquidating their assets : sell their planes and landing rights,...

That should teach the airlines to value life more !

You have a strange way of apportioning blame. AFAIK, there has not been a single aviation expert that has stated unreservedly that MAS should not have been flying that route (apart from you as you have so cleverly demonstrated both your aviation and financial expertise with your Ryanair example).

By your reasoning then, the people who were recently injured / killed by being in the protest areas in Thailand were 100% responsible for their own fates because they knowingly put themselves in danger by being there? No responsibility should fall on the thugs that either threw grenades or fired gun shots?

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Well we all know who is to blame . It doesn't matter just who gave the order or pulled the trigger.

But the one who has a 100 % responsability in this matter is Malasian airline.

You do not fly over war zones , civil unrest zone or the "weird " country's and regions.

In all the years flying from SE asia to europe and back have I thought many times : WTH are we flying over this region ?

From the 800 to over a 1000 euro for a ticket , they can sure affort a detour.

Fuel is only a small part of the ticket price. ( Why can Ryanair fly with profit 2000 km for 30 euro - or less- but we have to pay at least 800 for 20.000 km return ticket ?)

Malaysian should be forced to pay a 100 milion THB per life lost. Not the insurance , but the airline itself. Get it from the far overpaid management and the bulk from liquidating their assets : sell their planes and landing rights,...

That should teach the airlines to value life more !

Good for a debate, but several airlines were in almost the same airspace at the same time. From different carriers. European air traffic controllers and Ukraine authorities hadn't restricted that airspace (over 32,000 feet). Just like they haven't for Afghanistan and many other war zones.

Some airlines have avoided that airspace, but many others hadn't. But obviously are now.

RIP to all on the airline.

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I was not clear. I don't blame Malasian . Blame rests by a government we are not to critisize on TV , or be deleted.

The responibility however is 100 % malasian airways.

Yes others fly that route , Yes others are flying at this moment over "hostile " regions, but they have the option to not endanger their passengers by opting for a different flight path.

It is utterly amazing that there are no more "accidents" like this.

Bottomline is , you don't fly over risky regions and when sh t happens , they need to pay enoruos amounts , because money and profit is all they understand

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By your reasoning then, the people who were recently injured / killed by being in the protest areas in Thailand were 100% responsible for their own fates because they knowingly put themselves in danger by being there? No responsibility should fall on the thugs that either threw grenades or fired gun shots?

No , in this case Malasian put those peoples life in severe danger by flying there. They knew there was danger. If they didn't they should not be running an airline. People at the protest were not put in danger by some-one . You know that when you go into a protest area , chances are that it will affect you in some way. When I book a flight , there is no information about their flightpath , and if they will stick to it. You seem to confuse blame with responsibility.

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<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Well we all know who is to blame . It doesn't matter just who gave the order or pulled the trigger.
But the one who has a 100 % responsability in this matter is Malasian airline.
You do not fly over war zones , civil unrest zone or the "weird " country's and regions.
In all the years flying from SE asia to europe and back have I thought many times : WTH are we flying over this region ?
From the 800 to over a 1000 euro for a ticket , they can sure affort a detour.
Fuel is only a small part of the ticket price. ( Why can Ryanair fly with profit 2000 km for 30 euro - or less- but we have to pay at least 800 for 20.000 km return ticket ?)
Malaysian should be forced to pay a 100 milion THB per life lost. Not the insurance , but the airline itself. Get it from the far overpaid management and the bulk from liquidating their assets : sell their planes and landing rights,...
That should teach the airlines to value life more !


Are you for real?

Google airline profits per passenger it is less then $6.00 per person

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I was not clear. I don't blame Malasian . Blame rests by a government we are not to critisize on TV , or be deleted.

The responibility however is 100 % malasian airways.

Yes others fly that route , Yes others are flying at this moment over "hostile " regions, but they have the option to not endanger their passengers by opting for a different flight path.

It is utterly amazing that there are no more "accidents" like this.

Bottomline is , you don't fly over risky regions and when sh t happens , they need to pay enoruos amounts , because money and profit is all they understand

As pointed out by experts, other commercial airlines have flown over this area. There are also countless of civilian aircraft that fly over strife torn areas like Gaza, Iraq and Afghanistan. Even the IATA didn't ban that area as a no fly zone.

Your blaming of Malaysian Airline for this is almost as bad as Putin blaming the legitimate Ukraine government because there wasn't peace in the region. Gotta love Russians blaming everyone else to cover themselves.

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Obama should keep to the touch lines on this, his rhetoric is not that of justice but but politics.

The countries that should be involved are:

  1. Malaysia
  2. The Netherlands
  3. any other country who had nationals on the ill-fated flight.

Personally when it is proved who fired the missile of which I am certain it was the Russian backed rebels. I would hope all countries close their airspace to Russian flights but this is not what Obama wants, he is looking for sanctions that will favour American interests.

An American was on the plane. Dual nationality.

Still at the bottom of the list...

Dutch 189, Malaysia 44, Australia 27, Indonesia 11, UK 10, Germany 4, Belgium 4, Philippines 3, Canada 1, New Zealand 1, America 0.5.

(the above list is very fluid at this time as no doubt some have not yet been counted and a number with dual nationality have been counted twice, The American has been counted as a half person because it is believed they have dual nationality)

All were hear is rhetoric from Obama which is overshadowing the statements of more concerned parities like the Presidents of Malaysia and The Netherlands.

Edited by Basil B
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