By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Sunday, Sept. 4, 1983:
DAP calls on all nations with citizens on the South Korean jumbo jet shot down by the Russians to regard the heinous crime of unprecedented barbarity as an act of hostility against them, and to review their diplomatic relations with Soviet Union as well as to form an international action committee to demand appropriate repatatory action.
The Soviet shooting of a civilian Korean Air Lines jumbo jet with 269 people on board is a most heinous crime of unprecedented barbarity, and must be condemned by the international community with one voice to protect the sanctity of lives in international travel.
The Soviet statement putting the blame on the civilian airline for carrying out planned violation of Soviet territory and espionage activities adds salt to the wound and shows the callous disregard not only for human lives, but contempt for international opinion and common sense, on the part of the Soviet government.
The shooting down of a civilian jetliner with 269 people on board is indefensible under any circumstances, the pepertrator of such a heinous crime against humanity must be made to bear the full responsibility for the foul deed.
The DAP calls on all nations with citizens on board the South Korean jumbo jet sot down by the Russians to regard the Soviet crime as an act of hostility against them and the international community, and to review their diplomatic relations with Soviet Union as well as to form an international action committee to demand appropriate reparatory actions by the Soviet Union.
Malaysia has herself lost a bright young son in the death of electronics engineer, Siow Woon Kwong , 23, from Muar, who was returning to put his electrical engineering and computer science studies into practice after a distinguished academic record in the United States. The wanton murder of Siow Woon Kwong has brought great not only to his parents and immediate family, but to all Malaysians at the destruction of budding talent. All Malaysians must not only sympathise with the loss of Mr. Siow Fah Min and his wife over the loss of their son, but must take this as a personal and national loss as well.
It is for this reason that I call on the Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, to involve Malaysia fully in all international efforts, and even to the extent of taking initiatives, to demand international accountability by the Soviet Union for its despicable shooting and downing of 269 people of a civilian circraft.
As a first step, the Soviet Union must admit full responsibility and guilt for the shooting down of the civilian jet and the murder of 269 people on board, and a fulsome apology for its criminal action, the agreement to allow an international investigation team to ascertain the full facts of the incident, the submission and surrender of the Soviet military personnel responsible for the shooting to an international crime tribunal specially set up for this purpose, and full reparations and compensations to the families of the 269 people killed.