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MH17: Repatriation details to be announced Thursday

KUALA LUMPUR: All decisions related to the repatriation of MH17 victims will be announced next Thursday.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said Deputy Prime Minister would make the announcement.

"All the decisions on this matter will be announced by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin next Thursday," he said at a press conference after chairing the first repatriation coordination meeting on MH17, here today.

Hishammuddin also said the next-of-kin will determine the religious ceremony for their loved ones.

"We will not discriminate and we plan to carry out a dignified ceremony for the victims out of respect for them and their families,” he said.

Families of MH17 victims will be given the option to choose the way the bodies will be managed.

“Non-Muslims can opt for the bodies to be cremated and Muslim families can also choose whether they wish for the remains be processed in Amsterdam or brought back to Malaysia first.

The repatriation, added Hishammuddin, will focus on the main three locations; Donetsk, Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur with Amsterdam as the main focal point of coordination.

“All the latest information will come from Amsterdam and we will coordinate Kiev and Kuala Lumpur.

On when the bodies' expected arrival, Hishammuddin said it all depended on the Amsterdam and proper identification had to be done before bodies could be released as it also co-relates with the ongoing MH17 investigation.

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