De nationale herdenking had dit jaar als thema 'voortleven' wat aansluit bij de symboliek van het monument, dat bestaat uit een gedenkteken en 298 bomen die staan voor groei, hoop en leven. Ieder slachtoffer heeft een eigen boom gekregen, met daarop een naamplaatje.

Bij de herdenking werden de namen van alle 298 inzittenden voorgelezen. Ook hielden enkele nabestaanden een toespraak, onder wie Evert van Zijtveld, voorzitter van de Stichting Vliegramp MH17. Hij verloor zijn 19 jaar oude dochter Frederique, zijn 18-jarige zoon Robert-Jan en zijn schoonouders.

"Het lijkt lang geleden, maar voor ons is het als de dag van gisteren. Deze dag staat in ons geheugen gegrift en sloeg een gat in ons leven. Onze dierbaren gingen op 17 juli 2014 gezamenlijk op reis en met dit herdenkingsbos worden zij symbolisch weer opnieuw bij elkaar gebracht."</s>Three years after Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine, thousands gathered in the Netherlands for the unveiling of a new memorial dedicated to victims who had been onboard.

Relatives and friends of those killed in the incident attended the ceremony Monday, along with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and members of the country’s royal family, at a park near Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport. The site includes a monument with the names of victims, as well as a “living memorial” in the shape of a ribbon that features one tree planted for each person that died.

All 298 passengers and crew members aboard flight MH17 were killed on July 17, 2014, after a surface-to-air missile launched from pro-Russian separatist territory struck the jetliner. The incident spurred international condemnation and a lengthy investigation to determine the events leading up to the killings. A Dutch-led criminal probe is still ongoing, but investigators last September announced they had concluded the plane was downed by a Buk missile that was transported to eastern Ukraine from Russia.

The flight was traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, but was taken down near the Russian border as conflict raged in eastern Ukraine. Most of the passengers on board the jet were Dutch, and included some of world’s top HIV researchers who were on their way to a conference.
• Relatives of the victims console each other.
• Relatives of the victims of the 2014 Malaysia Airlines crash attend the event.
• King Willem-Alexander, second from right, and his wife Queen Maxima of the Netherlands arrive to the event.
• The monument was designed by Ronald A. Westerhuis and is placed in a park with 298 trees, one to represent each victim that was killed in the crash.
• The names of the victims are seen on the new monument.
• Relatives look at the names.
• King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima attend the event.
• Relatives of the victims pay their respects during the memorial ceremony.
• Relatives of the victims leave flowers at the new monument.
• Relatives embrace while looking at the monument.
• King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima of the Netherlands pay their respects at the memorial.</s>Vijfhuizen, NETHERLANDS (Reuters) - The Netherlands unveiled a national monument Monday in memory of the 298 people killed in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines jetliner in 2014 above territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Victims came from 17 countries, and included 196 Dutch citizens. The Netherlands took the lead in investigating the crash and intends to try those it considers responsible.

Authorities concluded the plane was shot down by a Russian-made ground-to-air rocket but have yet to formally identify suspects. Moscow denies any of its rockets could have been used.

On the third anniversary of the disaster, King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte unveiled the 25-meter-long monument in a park in the village of Vijfhuizen, near Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.

Dutch politicians and around 2,000 relatives also attended.

A glistening steel structure shaped like an eye and set before a dark wall bears the names of the victims.

“If you look into it, you will see yourself and the name of your loved one,” Ronald Westerhuis, the sculptor who designed the memorial, was cited as saying in the Trouw newspaper on Monday.

“The steel is so polished it will reflect the sunlight onto the dark wall, in the hope that this will ease the sadness.”</s>More than 2,000 relatives will gather in the Netherlands to unveil a memorial to family members on the third anniversary of the day when Flight MH17 was shot down by a missile over conflict-torn Ukraine.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima on July 17 will join other international officials at a ceremony to dedicate the memorial in the park of Vijfhuizen near Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.

The doomed flight took off from Schiphol on July 17, 2014.

Family members will read the names of the 298 passengers and crew killed in the disaster.

There were 17 nationalities on board, mostly Dutch but also Australians, Britons, Malaysians, and Indonesians.

A total of 298 trees have been planted in the shape of a green ribbon, one for each of the victims who died on the Malaysia Airlines plane when it was shot down during its flight to Kuala Lumpur.

Calling it a "living memorial," organizers said the trees will be surrounded by sunflowers, which bloom in July and will "radiate a golden glow" over the site.

Dutch investigators concluded in 2015 that the jet was shot down by a Russian-made Buk missile over eastern Ukrainian territory held by Russia-backed separatists.

Russia, which denies any involvement in the fighting in eastern Ukraine, also denies one of its rockets could have been used to bring down MH17.

However, some 15 relatives of the victims demonstrated on July 16 in front of the Russian Embassy in The Hague against attempts by Moscow to block investigations into the disaster.

The demonstrators set a sign in front of the embassy saying: "Waiting for responsibility and full disclosure."

No suspects have been arrested. Dutch authorities have said any eventual trials would be held in The Netherlands.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, and Reuters</s>Three years after Flight MH17 was shot down by a missile over war-torn Ukraine, nearly 2,000 relatives gathered yesterday to unveil a "living memorial" to their loved ones. A total of 298 trees, one for each of the victims who died on board the Malaysia Airlines flight en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, have been planted in the shape of a green ribbon. Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima joined government and international officials at a solemn ceremony to dedicate the memorial in the park of Vijfhuizen, close to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, from where the flight took off on July 17, 2014. A national monument was also unveiled. The glistening steel structure, shaped like an eye and set before a dark wall, bears the names of the victims. A mourning ceremony, led by an Orthodox priest, was conducted yesterday at the site where the plane crashed near the village of Grabovo, around 100km east of Donetsk, Ukraine. International investigators have said the plane was brought down by a Buk missile system fired from territory held by Moscow-backed rebels.</s>The father of two siblings killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine three years ago said Monday that relatives of the 298 people killed would not rest until those responsible face justice.

At an emotional ceremony marking three years since the jet was shot down, Evert van Zijtveld said a group representing victims' families "shall not give up and shall not be silenced until those who are responsible have been brought to justice."

As Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima along with about 2,000 friends and relatives of victims gathered at a new memorial, Van Zijtveld said the loss of his 19-year-old daughter, Frederique, and 18-year-old son, Robert-Jan, "left a hole in our hearts."

The commemoration came as international investigators continue their painstaking probe aimed at prosecuting those responsible for shooting down Flight 17 and killing all the passengers and crew.

The Boeing 777 was destroyed by a Buk missile on July 17, 2014, over conflict-torn eastern Ukraine. The international criminal probe has concluded that the missile was fired from rebel-controlled territory by a mobile launcher trucked in from Russia. Russia has denied any involvement, and denounced the conclusions as politically biased.

The U.S. has urged other countries to cooperate in the investigation.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said that Washington also welcomed a recent decision "to grant jurisdiction to the Dutch courts for the prosecution of those responsible for this tragedy.

"We have full confidence in the ability of the Dutch criminal justice system to conduct a prosecution that is comprehensive, objective and just," she said.

Investigators last year said they had pinpointed 100 people they want to speak to who are believed to have been involved in transporting the Buk missile launcher or its use.

Nations involved in the probe have agreed to prosecute any suspects in the Netherlands, home to nearly 200 of the victims.

The European Union foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, called for international cooperation in the hunt for the perpetrators.

"To ensure that those responsible for the downing of MH17 are held accountable and brought to justice, the criminal investigation needs the continuing support of the international community," Mogherini said in a statement. "We expect all the states that are in a position to assist the investigation and prosecution of those responsible to do so, as demanded by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2166."

After a ceremony at which relatives read out the names of victims, Willem-Alexander and Maxima, joined by 17 local children, each holding a single sunflower, were first to inspect the new monument.

The monument, a curved steel wall and an eye-shaped sculpture engraved with the victims' names, stands in an amphitheater surrounded by 298 trees — still saplings — planted in the form of a commemorative ribbon. Each tree has a plaque bearing the name of a victim.

The monument is close to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, from which Flight 17 departed on its way to Kuala Lumpur. In the silence preceding the commemoration, planes could be seen and heard flying to and from the airport.

Last week, more than 90 family members attended a memorial in Malaysia for victims and a briefing on the ongoing probe.

Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai told reporters after the event, which was closed to the media, that the investigation was "very detailed and we are quite convinced that we will be able to find the culprits."

In Ukraine, President Petro Poroshenko said his country is mourning the victims and said he believes the perpetrators of the attack will be brought to justice.

"We have faith in the objectivity and impartiality of the Dutch justice and that masterminds behind this crime will be inevitably brought to justice," Poroshenko said in a Twitter post Monday.</s>Vijfhuizen (Netherlands) (AFP) - Three years after Flight MH17 was shot down by a missile over war-torn Ukraine, more than 2,000 relatives gather Monday to unveil a "living memorial" to their loved ones.

A total of 298 trees have been planted in the shape of a green ribbon, one for each of the victims who died on board the Malaysia Airlines flight en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will join government and international officials at a solemn ceremony to dedicate the memorial in the park of Vijfhuizen, close to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport where the flight took off from on July 17, 2014.

The names of all the 298 passengers and crew killed in the disaster will be read out by their families, and 17 local children will lay flowers.

While most of the victims were Dutch, there were 17 nationalities on board including Australians, Britons, Malaysians and Indonesians.

"A tree symbolises 'hope' and 'future' in many cultures," the victims' families association said in a statement.

"We not only want to honour the MH17 victims, but also want to create a place where everyone can keep their memories of the 298 passengers alive."

Funded by donations, the project was designed by artist Ronald A. Westerhuis and landscape architect Robbert de Koning after it was chosen out of three proposals by relatives in late 2015.

As the third anniversary of the tragedy dawns, no suspects have been arrested although it was announced this month that any trials will be held in The Netherlands.

About 100 people are wanted in connection with the disaster, after Dutch-led investigators concluded the plane was shot down by a Russian-made BUK missile transported from Russia into areas held by pro-Russian rebels.

in Kiev, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday insisted Moscow must be held to account over the tragedy.

"It was a barefaced crime that could have been avoided if not for the Russian aggression, Russian system and Russian missile that came from Russian territory," Poroshenko wrote on Facebook.

Russia and the separatist authorities it supports, however, continue to deny any involvement and have sought repeatedly to deflect the blame onto Ukraine.

The trees in the memorial will be surrounded by sunflowers, which bloom in July, and will "radiate a golden glow" over the trees, the foundation said.

The flowers also represent "the sunflower fields in eastern Ukraine where some parts of the plane wreckage were found."

Each of the trees bears the name of one of the victims. And at the heart of the forest of 11 different tree varieties is a steel memorial shaped like an eye, turned upwards looking at the skies.

One apple tree has been dedicated to 16-year-old Gary, from Rotterdam, whose body has still not yet been identified.

"It's nice to think that he has a tree, since we have not received his body. We don't want Gary to be forgotten. We don't want any of the 298 victims to be forgotten," his father Jan Slok, told the daily AD newspaper.

The 16-metre-long steel eyebrow above the eye represents "the burden of the loss," the Trouw daily said, adding with time it will rust, a symbol of the slow passage of pain. The victims' names are also engraved in the pupil of the eye.

"If you look inside, you can see both yourself and the name of your loved one," Westerhuis told Trouw.</s>A grieving dad joined families in Holland as a memorial forest for the victims of the MH17 tragedy was opened to the public.

Barry Sweeney’s son Liam, 28, was travelling to New Zealand to watch his beloved Newcastle United with fellow fan John Alder, 63, when their plane was shot out of the sky.

All 298 people on board flight MH17 were killed when the Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpa jet came down in Ukraine on July 17, 2014.

To mark the third anniversary of the atrocity on Monday, the victims’ relatives gathered as the memorial in Amsterdam was officially opened.

The forest, which sits near to Schiphol Airport where the flight took off, contains 298 trees - one for each person who died in the crash.

The memorial takes the shape of a ribbon and was inspired by the black memorial ribbon used to symbolise mourning after the tragedy.

Mr Sweeney, 55, from Killingworth, said: “It was important for me to go over and stand together with the families I’ve become friends with.

“Ten British families lost someone that day, which is 10 too many. We are not going to forget and we just need answers so we can move forward.”

Mr Sweeney read out Liam and John’s names during the service, which was attended by Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.

Earlier this month the Dutch Government said any suspects will be prosecuted in the Netherlands.

Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said that the decision was made by the countries jointly investigating the crash, including Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, Ukraine and the Netherlands.

A team of investigators concluded in September the rocket was fired from territory in eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russian separatists.

However, Russia insists the plane was brought down by Ukraine’s military.

Meanwhile, the Bellingcat investigation team has released its latest report into the downing of the MH17 plane.

The report said Russia’s 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade transported vehicles close to the Russian border with Ukraine in June 2014.

The team claims that one of the vehicles - a Buk 332 - arrived at a field south of Snizhne and fired a missile that hit the plane.

They then allege that footage emerged a month later showing the vehicle travelling through the city of Luhansk missing one missile.</s>A total of 298 trees have been planted in the shape of a green ribbon, one for each of the victims who died on board the Malaysia Airlines flight en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

VIJFHUIZEN, Netherlands: Three years after Flight MH17 was shot down by a missile over war-torn Ukraine, nearly 2,000 relatives gather Monday to unveil a "living memorial" to their loved ones.

A total of 298 trees have been planted in the shape of a green ribbon, one for each of the victims who died on board the Malaysia Airlines flight en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima joined government and international officials at a solemn ceremony to dedicate the memorial in the park of Vijfhuizen, close to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport where the flight took off on Jul 17, 2014.

The names of all the 298 passengers and crew killed in the disaster were read out by their emotional families, and the Dutch royals and others laid flowers.

While most of the victims were Dutch, there were 17 nationalities on board including Australians, Britons, Malaysians and Indonesians.

"It's three years to the day that MH17 was shot down in mid-air," said Evert van Zijtveld, the head of association of the victims' families.

"But for us it was yesterday. That day ... left a void in our lives. There is a life before and after Jul 17, 2014.

"These victims can never be forgotten," he said. "This monument is for now and for future generations."



"A tree symbolises 'hope' and 'future' in many cultures," the victims' families association said in a statement.

"We not only want to honour the MH17 victims, but also want to create a place where everyone can keep their memories of the 298 passengers alive."

Funded by donations, the project was designed by artist Ronald A. Westerhuis and landscape architect Robbert de Koning after it was chosen out of three proposals by relatives in late 2015.

As the third anniversary of the tragedy dawns, no suspects have been arrested although it was announced this month that any trials will be held in The Netherlands.

About 100 people are wanted in connection with the disaster, after Dutch-led investigators concluded the plane was shot down by a Russian-made BUK missile transported from Russia into areas held by pro-Russian rebels.

In Kiev, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday insisted Moscow must be held to account over the tragedy.

"It was a barefaced crime that could have been avoided if not for the Russian aggression, Russian system and Russian missile that came from Russian territory," Poroshenko wrote on Facebook.

Russia and the separatist authorities it supports, however, continue to deny any involvement and have sought repeatedly to deflect the blame onto Ukraine.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a statement his thoughts were with the victims' families and urged "all states to cooperate fully with efforts to establish accountability" for the incident.

The trees in the memorial will be surrounded by sunflowers, which bloom in July, and will "radiate a golden glow", the foundation said. The flowers also represent "the sunflower fields in eastern Ukraine where some parts of the plane wreckage were found".

Each of the trees bears the name of one of the victims. And at the heart of the forest of 11 different tree varieties is a steel memorial shaped like an eye, turned upwards looking at the skies.

One apple tree has been dedicated to 16-year-old Gary, from Rotterdam, whose body has still not yet been identified.

"It's nice to think that he has a tree, since we have not received his body. We don't want Gary to be forgotten. We don't want any of the 298 victims to be forgotten," his father Jan Slok, told the daily AD newspaper.

The 16-metre-long steel eyebrow above the eye represents "the burden of the loss," the Trouw daily said, adding with time it will rust, a symbol of the slow passage of pain. The victims' names are also engraved in the pupil of the eye.

"If you look inside, you can see both yourself and the name of your loved one," Westerhuis told Trouw.</s>Three years after the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by a Buk missile over Ukraine, friends and relatives of the 38 Australian citizens and residents who died were among the 2,000 people who attended the opening of a new memorial in the Netherlands to the 298 people who lost their lives.

The memorial at Vijfhuizen near Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport features 298 young trees planted for each of those who died.

After the memorial’s emotional opening, attended by the Dutch king and queen, Sydney parents Meryn and John O’Brien visited their son Jack’s tree, a crab apple, as planes took off from the nearby airport the 25-year-old flew out of on 17 July 2014, returning from a European backpacking trip to resume his studies.

“It’s a big thing for us to come back to the airport that Jack left from,” Meryn O’Brien said. “We want Jack to walk back in the door but it’s a beautiful symbol,” she said of his tree, now hung with cards and ribbons sent by his grandmothers, friends, cousins and soccer mates.

O’Brien said her “beautiful child” was returning to Australia “to get on with his life” and he had been passionate about the things he cared about.



The commemoration came as international investigators continued their painstaking inquiry aimed at prosecuting those responsible for shooting down Flight 17 and killing all the passengers and crew.

A Dutch-led investigation, that includes Australians, has concluded that the Buk missile that downed MH17 was fired from rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine from a launcher that had crossed the border from Russia.



The Russians insist the Ukrainian military downed the aircraft, and have denounced the investigation’s conclusions as politically biased. 



The United States has urged other countries to cooperate in the investigation. The US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said that Washington also welcomed a recent decision “to grant jurisdiction to the Dutch courts for the prosecution of those responsible for this tragedy”.

“We have full confidence in the ability of the Dutch criminal justice system to conduct a prosecution that is comprehensive, objective and just,” she said.

Investigators last year said they had pinpointed 100 people they want to speak to who are believed to have been involved in transporting the Buk missile launcher or its use.

Nations involved in the investigation have agreed to prosecute any suspects in the Netherlands, home to nearly 200 of the victims. The European Union foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, called for international cooperation in the hunt for the perpetrators.

“To ensure that those responsible for the downing of MH17 are held accountable and brought to justice, the criminal investigation needs the continuing support of the international community,” Mogherini said in a statement.

John O’Brien said some responsibility must lie with Ukraine for not closing its airspace during conflict, and with Malaysian Airlines, which with many other airlines continued to fly over Ukraine.

“We hold accountable the crew on the ground who shot the missile but there’s a level of responsibility and accountability all the way up the chain of command, all the way to the top,” he said.



The O’Briens know it may take years for the investigative and prosecution process to play out, but the 298 people whose names were read out by relatives at Monday’s ceremony had “lost the chance to live, so the truth matters”.



After a ceremony at which relatives read out the names of victims, Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima led 17 school children from the local community to lay sunflowers at the new memorial in a symbolic opening.



The monument, a curved steel wall and an eye-shaped sculpture engraved with the victims’ names, stands in an amphitheatre surrounded by 298 trees – still saplings – planted in the form of a commemorative ribbon. Each tree has a plaque bearing the name of a victim.

Australian Associated Press and Associated Press contributed to this report
In Vijfhuizen, the Netherlands, exactly three years after the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) disaster, the National Memorial for the victims is opened in the presence of King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and Prime Minister Mark Rutte.