MH17: Umno Youth refuses to apologise over protest at Russian embassy

(The Star) – Umno Youth will not apologise over the recent protest at the Russian embassy in Kuala Lumpur, according to its deputy chief Khairul Azwan Harun on Friday.

On Tuesday, hundreds of Barisan Nasional Youth leaders and members gathered in front of the Russian Embassy to demand justice for the 298 victims of the doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.

The group sought to submit a memorandum to Russian ambassador to Malaysia, Lyudmila G. Vorobyeva and call upon Moscow to guarantee safe passage and full access to the crash site for international investigators.

“Regrettably, some voices in Malaysia chose to chastise our actions as being unhelpful to our broader interests,” said Khairul, who led the protest.

“In the face of our government’s quiet diplomacy, the sight of a couple hundred young Malaysians congregating outside embassies with loudspeakers demanding justice for the murdered appeared to affront the sensibilities of some.

“As the person who led the delegation, I make no apologies for our decision to exert public pressure to all parties involved,” he said in a statement.

During the protest, a small commotion broke out in front of the embassy’s front gate when Umno Youth leaders insisted on seeing the Russian envoy to hand in personally the memorandum.

The altercation lasted for about 20 minutes until a representative from the embassy accepted the memorandum on behalf of Vorobyeva after police intervened.

“There is nothing premature or overly aggressive about our posturing. While we recognise the roles of Russia, Ukraine and the separatists in bringing about the two positive developments thus far, we have no desire to take our foot off the pedal.

Just like the Malaysian government, the delegation led by Umno Youth with other Barisan Nasional Youth members remain unaligned to either Russia or Ukraine, and will not blame either party until it is clear who was the perpetrator for the tragic incident.

“While the government can and should continue to pursue diplomatic avenues to push along the course for justice, civil society or political bodies must also continue to voice the demands of our people to ensure speedy compliance on the part of all the parties involved,” he said.

In the seven-point memorandum, Umno Youth among others, called for the Putin administration to exercise its influence over the separatists in the Donetsk region to ensure the integrity of the crime scene.

“The memorandum outlined with clarity the demands of Malaysian people for all parties to exercise their influence along three key themes – continued unfettered access to the crash site for independent international investigators, the dignified treatment of the crash site throughout the process and the full cooperation of all parties to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“These are issues over which Russia and Ukraine must commit to until we reach satisfactory closure for the families of the victims,” said Khairul.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that Malaysia has reached an agreement with Ukrainian rebels for custody of the black boxes and access to the MH17 crash site.

“We must not forget though, that these positive developments represent the first phase of an investigation process that still has a long way towards achieving a satisfactory and just conclusion, and one that may have already been compromised in the first place.

“True justice for the 298 victims and their families will only be achieved after those responsible for this heinous international crime have been punished,” said Khairul.

The Malaysia Airlines jetliner was en route to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport where it crashed in Ukraine near the Russian border on July 17.

The plane was flying 10,000m above an area where Ukrainian forces have been fighting separatist rebels. Each side accused the other of downing the plane.