Families of MH17 victims await justice, remember loved ones

KUALA LUMPUR - July 17, 2014, is a date that is forever etched in the memory of all families affected by the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH17 tragedy, shot down in eastern Ukraine, claiming the lives of 298 passengers and crew.

Feelings of longing, sadness and anguish never fade from the hearts of the victims' families, each seeking justice for those involved in the plane crash shortly after takeoff from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam at 12.15pm (Amsterdam time) and scheduled to arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 6.10am (Malaysia time) on Friday, July 18, 2014.

In Perak, Noorlin Mohd Nor, 57, said that even though 10 years have passed, she still recalls the advice of her sister affectionately called "Kak Nyah," who used to call her every week.

The youngest of 14 siblings said she was very close to her late sister and regarded her as a mother figure due to the significant age gap. The two often inquired about each other's well-being.

"She was very soft-spoken, so her advice is what I remember most... 'Adik, take care of yourself, your health, don't get too overweight...' she would say every time during our calls, like a mother. I miss her dearly," she said when interviewed by Bernama in Ipoh, Perak.

Noorlin said she accepted the passing of her sister, Noor Rahimmah, and regularly visited her grave here, while hoping for justice in the tragedy.

Recalling the moment she received the sad news about her sister, Noorlin said on the day of the incident, Noor Rahimmah had called to inform that she would be boarding a flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, back to Malaysia.

"It was during Ramadan, if I'm not mistaken, the last 10 nights, and I was at the mosque. Then my brother and sister went to the airport (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) after breaking fast.

"While they were on their way, I was at the mosque when my nephew called to ask the flight number of Noor Rahimmah. 'I told him MH17 at which point my nephew told me to watch the television, and I saw news about MH17...," she said, adding that as a result of the MH17 tragedy, she now had a fear of boarding airplanes even for domestic flights.

In Kelantan, Daud Abdul Kadir, 85, said he could only ease his longing with a wristwatch given to him by his late grandson, assistant flight engineer Ahmad Hakimi Hanapi.

"It's been 10 years since Ahmad Hakimi left us, yet it feels like yesterday when it all happened, and this watch always remains on my wrist. He bought it for RM200 back then and gave it to me a few months before he left forever," he told Bernama recently at his home in Melor near Kota Bharu, Kelantan.

Zaleha Bawal Khan, 83, grandmother of the deceased, said she has never forgotten her grandson, who was a gentle and quiet person.

"After several years of Ahmad Hakimi's passing, my daughter (Noriah Daud, the victim's mother) told us that the imam there informed them that Ahmad Hakimi's body was the first to be found during the search after the crash.

"Even more astonishing, the imam and several representatives from Malaysia saw that his body was intact and in good condition. We only found out about all of this recently," she said.

In Kuala Lumpur, the mother of MH17’s chief stewardess Azrina Yakob, who perished in the tragedy, Habibah Ismail, 75, also hoped that justice would prevail.

"Until now, we still haven't received the outcome desired by all the family members of the victims. They shot down a plane with people aboard. Since the tragedy occurred, I have been following all developments (in the case)," she said here recently.

In Johor, the elder brother of the late Mohd Ali Md Salim, Mohd Zaki, 48, said their family couldn’t forget the incident that befell his younger brother and hoped for justice to be served in this unfortunate tragedy.

He shared that to alleviate their longing, the family often visited the grave of his late brother, buried next to their father's grave, Md Salim Sarmo, at the Kampung Raja Islamic Cemetery in Pagoh, near here.

Mohd Ali was among the 43 Malaysian citizens who perished in the MH17 plane crash on July 17, 2014. - BERNAMA