This afternoon the MH17 disaster, 5 years later, was remembered at the National Monument in the Netherlands:
https://www.nu.nl/binnenl...nument-in-vijfhuizen.html"MH17 disaster commemorated at National Monument in Vijfhuizen
The MH17 disaster was officially commemorated on Wednesday afternoon at the National Monument MH17 in Vijfhuizen, North Holland. During the commemoration, among others, Prime Minister Mark Rutte gave a speech and relatives laid flowers at the monument.
Piet Ploeg, the chairman of Stichting Vliegramp MH17, spoke on behalf of the relatives and opened the memorial, in which around twelve hundred people were present. "We look back on the past five years on a day like today, a period in which a lot has happened; in our personal lives and in the world around us."
In his speech, Ploeg considered, among other things, the ongoing criminal investigation, the realization of the monument and making new memories together.
"Five years sound like 'it's been five years ago', but I know that for many it feels like just five years ago. The lack remains great; the confrontation with that terrible time in 2014 also remains great. Five years also brings be aware that you can go back to normal life and there is room for other things. "
Rutte admires patient's relatives
Prime Minister Rutte expressed his admiration for the patience of the relatives during the investigation into who can be held responsible for the MH17 disaster. "Today I want to express my deep respect and gratitude for the courage and patience with which you walk this path."
"The feeling is that this must happen quickly, while the mind prescribes care," said Rutte. "Because the road to justice runs through tenacity and unity, through self-control and controlled emotion."
He added to continue "that way" with all that is in us "on that road."
"We have grown up, you have remained small"
After the Prime Minister's speech, the names of the 298 victims of the air disaster were read. It caused a lot of emotions with the relatives.
At the place where the names were read, there are 298 trees. They were planted in 2016 by relatives of the victims. Sunflowers are in bloom around the memorial. The seeds of the flowers come from the field in Ukraine, where the device crashed.
After a minute of silence had been held around 3.20 pm, the time that the plane crashed in 2014, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces and friends told about their memories of the young victims of the disaster.
"We have grown, only you have remained small," one of the young relatives said in tears.
Grapperhaus and Blok also present
It is the fifth time that the 298 victims who were on the downed plane in 2014 have been commemorated.
Prime Minister Rutte was not only present at the commemoration. Minister of Justice and Security, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Grapperhaus, among others, were also present on behalf of the government.
In addition, there were also Khadija Arib (chairman of the Lower House), Fred Westerbeke (chief prosecutor), Wilbert Paulissen (head of the international JIT investigation team), Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg (National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security) and Jeroen Dijsselbloem (chairman of the Dutch Investigation Council for Security) at the commemoration…."
