A Dutch dad whose teenage daughter was killed on the Malaysia Airlines flight shot down over Ukraine penned an eviscerating letter to the man he believes to be responsible for his unspeakable loss — Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Thank you very much mister Putin, leaders of the separatists or the Ukraine government! For murdering my loved and only child, Elsemiek de Borst!” Hans de Borst wrote in an angry open letter to those responsible for blowing up Flight 17 Thursday.
“Aforementioned misters, I hope you’re proud to have shot her amongst other young life and future. And that you will be able to look at yourself in the mirror tomorrow morning.” he wrote in Dutch.
De Borst, 51, started his missive by memorializing his 17-year-old girl.
“Elsemiek would have done her final school exams next year, together with her best friend Julia and Marina, she did so good in school!”
“After that she wanted to go to the ‘Technical University Delft’ [in the Netherlands] to study engineering. She was looking forward to it,” the anguished father wrote.
Then, de Borst laments that his daughter will never be able to fulfill her dreams. “But suddenly she is not here anymore! She has been shot out of the sky, in an unknown country, where there is a war going on,” he wrote.
Elsemiek, who had piercing light-blue eyes and long, brown hair, was headed to Malaysia for a “well-deserved summer vacation,” according to her school’s Facebook page.
“She was on her way to her holiday in Maleisië together with her little brother, her mom (my ex-wife) and her stepfather,” de Borst wrote.
Elsemiek’s friends and family members gathered Friday night to remember her. “We are still silent,” read a tribute to Elsemiek on her school’s Facebook page.
De Borst was not sure how Putin would be able to read the letter because it was written in Dutch, but he had some ideas. “I hope you will receive this message, maybe translated in English (what you as a[n] intelligent gentleman could read just fine).”
De Borst said his life will never be the same after the July 17 tragedy, writing a bleak sign off — “Regards, Elsemiek’s father Hans de Borst from [hometown] Monster, The Netherlands, whose life is ruined!!”
But he still had a few more words for Russia’s leader. “PS mister Putin, I hope that your intense conversation with our Prime Minister Rutte opened your eyes!”
“I know you are impressed by this and I would find it impressive if you took the initiative to guard the crash-sight with the Russian military, so the Dutch investigators can do their job,” he added.
He finished the letter with a cordial: “Thanks in advance.”
After the letter was translated into English by a family friend, it was shared from de Borst’s Facebook account.
There was an outpouring of support for de Borst’s strong words to Putin and the terrible tragedy that has stricken his family.
“Well written Hans. It is very brave of you. It reflects all our sentiments and more! We sincerely hope and pray that the powers that be will heed your heartfelt message,” wrote Jute Williams, a friend of his from Wales.
“Than[k]s so much Jute. I feel it directly, a hard future left unfortunately!!! XXX” de Borst wrote back.
Elsemiek was one of 193 Dutch citizens — and 298 people overall — who were killed aboard the doomed Flight 17.