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Najib wants full probe into MH17 crash

Malaysia wants a full probe into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 and those responsible for the "crime against humanity" to be brought to justice.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, tabling a five-paragraph motion in Parliament today, called for a probe into the incident, led by an international independent body.

"This august house also demands that a comprehensive investigation be carried out so that those believed to be responsible for this crime against humanity through the shooting down of flight MH17 are immediately brought to justice," he said in an emergency sitting called by him last week.

A minute's silence was also observed at the start of the sitting.

The motion also extended Parliament's deepest regrets and condolences to the families and friends of the passengers and crew on board the commercial jet and condemned the "inhumane, uncivilised, violent and irresponsible" actions of parties responsible for downing MH17.

Earlier, some 120 people wearing black t-shirts with the words Justice for MH17 and carrying placards gathered outside Parliament to demand justice for the victims.

Clad in a dark suit and purple tie, Najib greeted them.

The Boeing 777-200 was en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam when it was shot down with what was believed to be a Russian-made SA-11 surface-to-air missile near the war-torn region of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine last Thursday, killing all 298 people on board.

Those responsible for downing the jet have yet to be identified, with Russian and Ukrainian authorities blaming each other and pro-Russian separatists for the disaster.

The bodies of the victims are now on their way to the Netherlands for forensic identification and the black boxes have been handed over to Malaysian officials, who then passed them to the Dutch.

The prime minister’s handling of the disaster had earned him plaudits from both Malaysians and abroad while world leaders were bickering over who should be held responsible for the crash.

Najib negotiated with rebel leader Alexander Borodai and sealed a deal "that achieved what more powerful nations, including Russia, could not", according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

In a rare acknowledgement, veteran opposition leader Lim Kit Siang praised Najib for the breakthrough negotiations which allowed for the handover of the two black boxes and the transportation of the victims’ bodies to Amsterdam.

"For four days, the international outrage over the shooting down of a civilian airliner with 298 passengers and crew members on board had been further incensed and aggravated by the gruesome and insensitive disrespect shown to the remains of the MH 17 victims as well as the looting and contamination of the crash site," the DAP parliamentary leader had said. – July 23, 2014.