Malaysians demand bodies of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 passengers before the end of Ramadan
The relatives of those lost on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 are growing impatient in their quest to bury their loved ones.
Gathered at a hotel conference room in Putrajaya, just south of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was headed, the families of those lost discussed the need to bury the deceased. While the majority of the attendants at the Marriott Hotel were joyously celebrating Ramadan's daily fasting break, those who lost loved ones in Thursday's tragedy came together to share grief — and demand action.
"We need to get the bodies home to expedite the burials," Zulrusdi bin Haji Mohamad Hol, whose cousin was a passenger on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, told Time. "Otherwise, how will our family members get peace?"
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The families want to bury the deceased before the end of Ramadan, but the plane's crash site is still limited to international investigators, as pro-Russian separatists have been accused of tampering with evidence.
One of the rebel leaders agreed Sunday to return the bodies to the International Civil Aviation Organization, but Ukraine's government and international investigators have not agreed to a deal with the separatists. While Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has promised to recover the bodies by next week, when Ramadan's fasting period ends, cooperation between the rebels and Ukraine has yet to be achieved.
"I'm very angry," Zulrusdi told Time. "They're inhumane, they don't understand. First they murder our relatives, then they keep the corpses with them."
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Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
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