News
2018
An article has been published by a Dutch Newspaper and a news item has been broadcasted, the latter with the question if perhaps someone on board of KLM 845, which happened to be at the airport of Beirut that night, remembers something.
2014
To the utter horror of the world a civil aircraft has been downed on the 17th of July killing all 298 on board. Amongst them 195 fellow Dutchmen. On this day of National Mourning (23-7-2014) we all grieve their loss. For them the deathbell tolls. One minute of silence, an eternity of sorrow. The start of an impressive respectfull repatriation has started.
I quote some words of our Minister about this crash:
nos.nl/video/677806-emotionele-toespraak-timmermans-vnveiligheidsraad.html
"It has caused grief, anger and dispair. Grief for the loss of the loved ones. Anger for the downing of a civilian airplane. Dispair after witnessing the excruciating slow process of securing the crashsite and recovering the remains of the victims."
"For The Netherlands one priority clearly stands out above all others. Bring the victims home. It is a matter of human decency that human remains are treated with respect and that recovering the victim's remains should be done without any delay. They deserve to be home."
I adhere to his words and wish that they would apply to my father and the other victims of MA240. The delay has been excruciating long. The anger and dispair remain.
Our Minister continues:
"I also support the setting up of a proper investigation into the cause of the tragedy of the MH17. Once the investigation ascertains who was responsable for the downing of the flight of MH17 accountability and justice must be pursued and delivered. We owe it to the victims. We owe it to justice. We owe it to humanity. We will not rest untill all facts are known and justice is served."
My hart goes out to the relatives.
Thankfully the victims of MH17 are coming home, albeit after horrendous circumstances. The cause of the crash will be investigated and perhaps justice will be served.
A
s to MA240: there was no proper investigation, help for the retrieval of the black boxes was refused, no search for the plane was ever made, we were not informed about the recovery of human remains which was firstly denied for 30 years, the burial place of the unidentified victims is still unknown and the cause of the crash is still unknown. I can only relate too well with the words of our Minister and therefore we cannot rest: we owe it to them, to justice and to humanity.
2012
Further steps were hampered due to the financial and political crisis in Hungary and the problems that Lebanon is facing as a result of the civil war in Syria. Hopefully next year things will improve. For my mother, however, this will be too late: in March of this year she passed away.
On the 37th birthday of the crash the following documentary has been uploaded on
YOU TUBE
:
www.youtube.com/watch
2011
The court case that the British-Hungarian relative
had instigated came to a close without outcome as (only) the Hungarian relatives accepted the allocation the government offered under the condition of waiver and full & final discharge.
2010
In September 2010, the Dutch television series "De Wandeling" broadcasted an episode on the case of my father =>
www.kro-ncrv.nl/dewandeling/seizoenen/seizoen-2010/de-wandeling31
2009
In July 2009 the Hungarian Government published it's intention to distribute the funds that were allocated for the search of the plane and retrievement of the bodies to the Hongarian relatives.
Questions were asked to the European Commission : www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+WQ+E-2009-0015+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN
The reply
: "
E-0015/09EN
Answer given by Ms Ferrero-Waldner on behalf of the Commission (3.3.2009):
"
The Commission has no jurisdiction to deal with the question asked, which is a matter solely for the national authorities concerned."
2008
Broadcast by
NOVA
(Dutch television) - partly in English:
www.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1139322
In December 2008 four articles appeared in the Dutch press.
Several Ministries in The Netherlands, Hungary and Lebanon have replied and steps are being taken.
Several documents in English can be found under "Docs & Links".