PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad demanded that the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 be brought back to the country “as a matter of right”.

“Malaysians should examine it in full view of the people. After all, it is Malaysia which is being sued by the relatives of the victims,” he said in a post on his blog, chedet.cc, on Thursday.

As the aircraft belongs to Malaysia - as well as the flight crew and many passengers on board being Malaysians - Dr Mahathir is displeased with how the country is only “grudgingly permitted” to participate in the wreckage’s examination.

“Malaysia seems unduly grateful being allowed to participate in examining the wreckage in Holland. What is there to be grateful for?” he said.

He acknowledged that the highest number of passengers who lost their lives were Dutch, but wondered what law made the aircraft their property.

Dr Mahathir also questioned the surrender of the aircraft’s black box to the Dutch and British despite its initial handover to the Malaysian authorities.

“As far as I know the black box contains tape or electronic recording of the conversations and sounds some minutes before the crash.

“Can it be that Malaysians have no capacity to hear the records even? Are only the Dutch and the British capable of doing this?” he added.

Flight MH370, which disappeared in the early hours of March 8, was not far from his mind either.

“And by the way, where is MH370? Has it been pulverised into nothing as happened to the aircraft which crashed into the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania?” he added.

Dr Mahathir also queried if there was “something to hide” with regards to the cause of the crash, and even suggested firing a missile at an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to ascertain if no smoke trail was released.

“The US knew that it was a Russian missile immediately after the news of MH17 being brought down. How did they identify the missile so quickly, even who fired etc?” he said.