17-year-old Dutch native Elsemiek de Borst is one of the 295 passengers and crew who were killed aboard the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 last Thursday. Grieving family members and friends are coming forward on how the tragedy has affected their lives –and Elsemiek’s father is no exception.
Hans de Borst comes to our attention after he posted an open letter online outlining all the things his daughter had planned to do after leaving high school and accusing the Russian president and pro-Kremlin rebels in eastern Ukraine of ruining his life. As if loosing relatives to such horrific tragedy is not enough, Dutch have widely condemned the way the bodies of loved ones have been left piled up in body bags at the side of the road for several days.
His daughter, Elsemiek would have done her final school exams next year, after that she wanted to go to the “Technical University Delft” to study engineering, according to her devastated father.
It’s impossible not to feel for him as we imagine the hundreds affected by the recent Malaysia Airlines tragedy but to read it from his own words gives us a different idea of what he is going through. The letter goes (English version)
Thank you very much mister Putin, leaders of the separatists or the Ukraine government!
For murdering my loved and only child, Elsemiek de Borst!
She was 17 years old, 5th “gymnasium” student at the “Segbroek College” in Den Haag.
And she was on her way to her holiday in Maleisië together with her little brother, her mom (my ex-wife) and her stepfather.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!
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.
I hope you will receive this message, maybe translated in English (what you as a intelligent gentleman could read just fine)
Thanks again!
Regards, Elsemieks father Hans de Borst from Monster, The Netherlands, whose life is ruined!!
Elsemiek de Borst, was killed alongside her mother, step-brother and step-father when the Boeing 777 passenger plane they were travelling on was allegedly shot out of the sky over eastern Ukraine.
The daughter of Hans, and mother Esther Knight, brother Julian Ottochian and stepfather Sergio Ottochian. The family lived in Vogelwijk in The Hague. Elsemiek attended Segbroek College.
Mr. de Borst knew specific details of the life of his only child, and his Facebook page in plagued with tons of pictures of his dear daughter, there is no doubt they were very close. On the eve of her 16-birthday, he posted a picture of her captioned
My sweet SIXTEEN tomorrow
According to his Facebook page, De Borst works for ING. He lives in the town of Monster in The Netherlands, which is roughly an hour and 10 minutes west of Amsterdam. He is listed as a divorced man and speaks British English, German and French. He attended Hugo de Groot school, class of 1982; and HEAO Den Haag University, graduating in 1986.
Our condelences to Mr. de Borst and his family.
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