Fair probe into MH17 tragedy will tell the truth
Facts and theories, conspiracies and counter-allegations surrounding the downing of a Malaysian Airlines jet are still coming through, so it's best not to rush to a conclusion at this point. Instead, let us acknowledge the incident for what it is — first and foremost, a terrible human tragedy. Nearly 300 innocent lives have been extinguished, their families and loved ones devastated. There is no measure of this loss, which has shocked the entire world. Thankfully, no Indians were on board, as per preliminary reports, although the identities of more than 40 passengers are yet to be disclosed. But the tragedy is particularly macabre for Malaysia and it state airline, given that it was only earlier this year, on March 8, that Malaysian Airlines' Flight 370 disappeared. Despite an extensive multi-national search operation, there is still no trace of that jetliner or the 390 people it had on board. It is a grim coincidence that two incredibly rare aviation catastrophes, and that too involving Boeing 777s flown by Malaysian Airlines, both of which have impeccable safety records, have happened so close to each other. While the world is yet to find out what happened to MH370, hopefully, an international investigation into the MH17 tragedy will bring a sense of closure and justice.
For now, all that is known for certain is that the plane, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala lumpur, crashed on Thursday near Torez town in Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, which is controlled by pro-Russia separatists. There were 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board, none of whom survived. Preliminary reports suggest that the plane was shot down by a medium-range, surface-to-air missile system, but there is no clarity on who pulled the trigger. Kiev has blamed Russia and Russia-backed separatists; Moscow has denied these charges and pointed fingers back at Kiev for escalating tensions. The separatists have also distanced themselves from the incident and alleged that the plane was shot down by Ukrainian soldiers either because they mistook it for a Russian military aircraft or to give the rebels a bad name. Notably, all three players have the weapon systems necessary to shoot down a commercial airliner. But most believe that the rebels are responsible. Though they are supposedly guerrilla fighters, the rebels receive military aid from Moscow and, in fact, had recently boasted about getting their hands on at least one Buk missile system. But even if the rebels brought down MH17, it is unclear if they had purposefully targeted the plane or had misfired. Either way, the situation offers little comfort, especially given how many terror outfits and irregular militias now have access to military-grade hardware and weapon systems across the world.
In this context, there has been much debate about Malaysian Airlines, and international aviation authorities in general, allowing passenger aircraft to fly over a war zone, especially since a Ukrainian cargo plane had been shot down only days ago. Yet, for years, planes have flown over Afghanistan, for instance, even as a bloody insurgency raged thousands of feet below. But perhaps the rules will have to be updated for a new era of warfare.