Ten years have passed since Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, while travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
The tragedy, which resulted in the death of 15 crew members and 283 passengers, taught Malaysia many things, especially in handling trans-boundary crises and managing national disasters internationally.
Trans-boundary crises, catastrophes and disasters, such as chemical spills, aeroplane crashes and major infrastructure malfunctions, raise unique issues and often involve several national jurisdictions.
In the MH17 disaster, the jurisdictions included the crash site, the nation where the airline was registered, and the nations where the victims were from.
Each has its laws, regulations, interests and authorities. The MH17 case also deals with criminal prosecution, international diplomacy and foreign affairs, defence and civil protection, aviation security, and safety inquiries.
Malaysia's National Security Council (NSC) acted swiftly by dispatching the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance Rescue Team (SMART) to the disaster area, together with other agencies.
On July 18, 2014, 116 personnel were sent to Kyiv, Ukraine.
They included the Special Malaysian Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team, journalists, Royal Malaysian Air Force special forces operatives, the Armed Forces Religious Affairs Corps, the coordinating team from NSC, and Foreign Ministry and the then Department of Civil Aviation officials.
An ad hoc disaster victim identification (DVI) team was also assembled with 24 personnel from from the Forensic Medicine Service of the Health Ministry, the police, armed forces and the Chemistry Department.
The NSC issued a directive to begin the search and recovery operation in Hrabove, Donetsk, to be followed by a forensic investigation.
The mission's leader was Colonel (now retired) Mohd Sakri Hussin, also designated as the NSC's chief negotiator.
When the flight recorders were handed over to Malaysian officials in Donetsk on July 21, the initial mission of retrieving the flight recorders was regarded as successful.
Back home, the Women, Family and Community Developmen Ministry offered counselling to the victims' families while Malaysia Airlines provided financial assistance.
Malaysia also sent officials of various religions to the Netherlands to manage the funeral arrangements and rites of victims.
There are many challenges in handling trans-boundary crises, they involve inter-agency cooperation, logistics, health and safety planning, and effective communication and collaboration with agencies from other countries.
Sakri said, "the most important thing is to be equipped with a general update on the situation, and it is essential to take bold action when the knowledge about the current issue is obtained.
Sometimes when difficulties arise in unfavourable places, there are also factors like secrecy and confidentiality between the countries involved that need to be considered and maintained.
"Of course, the most important thing is how we design our Malaysian team to represent the whole government that upholds one policy in respect of crisis and disaster management."
Effective communication is crucial because it will result in better consultations.
This was proven when one of the Malaysian negotiators, an armed forces doctor, communicated well during the discussion to retrieve the black box of MH17.
His prime role was to ensure that what was required, or any issues that had arisen, could be communicated effectively.
The tragedy also offered lessons on working with international DVI experts.
For us, there is much to improve in the aspects of planning, particularly in the coordination and training of disaster management officials, as well as having a proper DVI organisation and facilities.
The year 2014 was a tragic one for Malaysian civil aviation, as apart from the MH17 disaster, the country also had grapple with the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in March.
But the twin tragedies offered lesson on disaster management and
The writer is an assistant director at the Malaysia Institute of Defence and Security