Kuala Lumpur, 03 Rajab 1438/31 March 2017 (MINA) – Malaysia handed the body of North Korean President Kim Jong Un’s half-brother to Pyongyang, in return of releasing nine Malaysians trapped in North Korea since ties went sour after the assassination case, KUNA reported.
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In a statement on Friday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said the nine Malaysians returned home earlier today, adding that Malaysia has lifted the travel ban on North Koreans inside the country.
Since the murder of Jong Nam in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian government has exerted great efforts to release its citizens trapped in the North, said Razak.
The country decided to hand the body of Kim Jong Nam to Pyongyang after autopsy procedures were complete, he added.
Razak noted that his country will continue investigating the incident and bring those responsible to justice. Malaysia has never directly accused North Korea of being behind the murder, but many say the weapon “VX nerve agent, a banned chemical weapon” suggests the North must have planned the assassination.
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The Malaysian authorities have arrested two Indonesian and Vietnamese women on February 13, accusing them of poisoning Jong Nam with the chemical agent. The country is still looking to arrest seven North Korean suspects, believed to have fled the country after the incident.
Malaysia’s investigation has enraged Pyongyang, who denied any role in the killing and said the investigation was politically motivated.
North Korea does not even acknowledge the body belongs to Kim Jong Nam, claiming he was a citizen named Kim Chol, the name on the passport he was carrying when he died. (T/RS5/RS1)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
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