GEORGE TOWN, Aug 29 — The state government is cutting down the number of performances for Independence Day this Sunday out of respect for the recent deaths from the shooting down of Flight MH17 that claimed the lives of six Penang natives, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said today.

He added that the ashes of two of the four victims aboard the fateful flight, Malaysian Airlines steward Sanjid Singh and Dutch restaurateur Loh Yan Hwa, will be brought back to Penang next week.

“The Merdeka celebration at Esplanade will see a parade by 96 contingents and with more emphasis on the spirit of Merdeka,” he told a news conference at his office here.

Loh and Sanjid’s ashes are expected to be brought back to be interred here on September 2.

Loh’s ashes are expected to be interred at a columbarium in a temple here while Sanjid’s ashes will be scattered in the sea on September 3.

There are four other MH17 victims who were Penangites but their remains will not be buried in Penang as per their family’s wishes, Lim said.

They are Captain Eugine Choo Jin Leong, Nor Shazana Mohd Salleh, Azrina Yaakob and Elaine Teoh.

Lim said there will be two simple prayer ceremonies to receive their remains, one at the airport and another at the victim’s home here.

Sanjid’s remains will be taken to his residence in Sri Petaling, Selangor and later transported by helicopter to Penang.

"Their remains will be escorted to their respective destinations on that day to ease the way,” Lim said.

Loh, who became a Dutch citizen, was travelling with her Malaysian mother, Tan Siew Poh, and Hong Kong-born husband Fan Shun Poh from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when their Malaysian Airlines plane was shot down over conflict-riddled Ukraine on July 17.

The remains of Tan and Fan have yet to be found and identified.

A total of 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed when flight MH17 was shot down on July 17.