REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Indonesia has called for solidarity among the ASEAN member countries to help Malaysia seek justice following the shooting down of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17.

"Indonesia calls for solidarity among the fellow ASEAN member nations to help Malaysia deal with the situation and take international steps to seek justice," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stated in a press conference on Friday.

He noted that Indonesia also supported an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the tragedy and find ways to handle it.

"From many official and credible sources, it is reported that the Malaysian Airlines plane was shot down by a land-to-air missile. Therefore, Indonesia calls for an international investigation. If it is true that the plane was shot down by a military weapon, it is a violation of international and war laws," the president remarked.

He pointed out that of the 298 passengers on board the plane, several were Indonesian nationals. The Indonesian foreign affairs ministry and the Indonesian embassies in Ukraine, the Netherlands, Russia, and Malaysia are currently working in tandem to carry out official identification to find out their exact number and identity.

"On behalf of the Indonesian nation and government, as well as myself, I express heartfelt condolences to the Malaysian government and families of the victims," Yudhoyono added.

Earlier, Minister of Foreign Affairs Marty Natalegawa informed the press that the Indonesian government was closely following the latest developments of the ill-fated Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 carrying 298 passengers, including 12 Indonesians that crashed in Ukraine.

"We are collecting information as comprehensively as possible. The president has also been informed about the incident, particularly on the possibility of Indonesians being on board the ill-fated plane. The president wants to know and continues to give instructions," Natalegawa stated on Friday.

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