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Dutch frustration with MH17: Deport Putin's daughter, mayor says

Hilversum, Netherlands, Mayor Pieter Broertjes later aplogized for the comment.

By Ed Adamczyk
Russian President Vladimir Putin. UPI/David Silpa
Russian President Vladimir Putin. UPI/David Silpa | License Photo

HILVERSUM, Netherlands, July 23 (UPI) -- A Netherlands mayor suggested deporting the daughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin in protest of alleged Russian involvement in the crash of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17.

Hilversum Mayor Pieter Broertjes, in a radio interview, called for expelling Maria Putina, 29, who leads an intensely private life away from media, and is believed to live in the Dutch city of Voorschoten with a boyfriend. There is no official photograph of her, or of her sister, Yekaterina.

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Broertjes later apologized for the comments, saying on social media they were "not wise," but adding "they stemmed from a feeling of helplessness that many will recognize."

Of the 298 people aboard the commercial airliner, which crashed last week in eastern Ukraine after it was struck by an anti-aircraft missile, 193 were Dutch citizens. Broertjes' suggestion is indicative of the nation's frustration.

The Dutch government declared Wednesday a national day of mourning. The first group of victims were returned home Wednesday, at Eindhoven airport, and will be transported to a Hilversum army base.

There have been calls for a peaceful protest outside the apartment where Maria Putina is believed to live, the Dutch newspaper de Telegraaf reported Monday, as it published a photograph of the apartment complex.

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