REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono offered his condolences to the victims and families of the ill-fated Malaysian Airlines plane, which was brought down over Eastern Ukraine on Thursday (July 17).

Apart from conveying condolences to the victims' families, Yudhoyono also demanded international investigation into the incident that killed 298 people including 15 crew members on board.

"According to sources, the Boeing 777-200 MH-17 was shot down by a missile, therefore Indonesia asks for an international investigation as it is an international law violation if the plane was shot down," Yudhoyono categorically stated.

Yudhoyono also called for immediate action to be taken against the perpetrators of this act.

Following reports by the United States that the Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was "blown out of the sky," perhaps by a ground-launched missile, Ukraine and Russia traded accusations blaming each other, cranking up global pressure for a way out of a bloody local conflict that risks fueling a new Cold War.

As of now, it is still unclear as to who was responsible for the airstrike.

According to Malaysian Airlines, the air traffic controllers lost contact with flight MH-17 in the afternoon as it flew over eastern Ukraine towards the Russian border, bound for Asia with 298 passengers and 15 crew members aboard.

Flight-tracking data indicated that it was cruising at an altitude of 33 thousand feet when it disappeared.

The 12 Indonesian citizens on board who were on their way back home to Indonesia also died in the incident.

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