MAGAZINE
Published February 20,2017
http://magazinereaders.blogspot.com/
Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Monday his
government's investigation of the killing of the North Korean leader's
half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, will be "objective", as tension rose between
the countries.
Earlier on Monday, Malaysia said it has recalled its envoy from
Pyongyang and summoned North Korea's ambassador in Kuala Lumpur, who
again cast doubt on the impartiality of Malaysia's investigation into
the murder and said the victim was not Kim Jong Nam.
"We have no reason why we want to do something to paint North Korea
in a bad light, but we will be objective," Najib told reporters in the
Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
CCTV footage obtained by Reuters appeared to show Kim Jong Nam being
attacked at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday last week by a
woman, who is believed to have wiped a fast-acting poison on his face.
Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the video,
and police officials were not immediately available for comment.
Kim Jong Nam, 46, who had been living in the Chinese territory of
Macau under Beijing's protection, had spoken out publicly against his
family's dynastic control of isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea.
South Korean legislators last week cited their spy agency as saying
the young and unpredictable North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, had issued
a "standing order" for his half-brother's assassination, and that there
had been a failed attempt in 2012.
Malaysian police are hunting four North Koreans who fled from the
country on the day of the attack, having already detained one North
Korean man, a Vietnamese woman, an Indonesian woman, and a Malaysian
man.
At least three of the wanted North Koreans caught an Emirates flight
to Dubai from Jakarta late on the day of the attack, an immigration
official in Indonesia told Reuters.
Malaysia's Star newspaper reported that all four had returned to North Korea.
North Korea had sought to prevent Malaysia from conducting an
autopsy, insisting the body be handed over. Its envoy in Kuala Lumpur
accused Malaysian authorities of "delaying" the release of the body.
"At the moment we cannot trust the investigation by the Malaysian
police," ambassador Kang Chol told reporters after talks at the foreign
ministry.
He said the embassy had only identified the victim as Kim Chol, based
on the passport found on the dead man, and suggested a joint
investigation with Malaysian authorities. Kim Jong Nam had been caught
using fake travel documents in the past.
Malaysia's foreign ministry announced the withdrawal "for
consultations" of its ambassador in North Korea and said the body would
be handed over to the next of kin, although none had come forward.
Malaysia's health minister said autopsy results could be released by Wednesday.
Malaysia is one of the few countries that maintains ties with the
reclusive state and the dispute could further isolate impoverished North
Korea.
‘Getting bolder’
South Korea, acutely sensitive to events in its volatile neighbor, convened a meeting of its National Security Council.
Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn told the meeting that it was nearly certain that North Korea was behind the killing.
"The murder carried out in public at an international airport of a
third country is an unforgivable and inhumane criminal act and clearly
demonstrates the recklessness and brutality of the North Korean regime
that will spare no avenues when it comes to perpetuating itself," Hwang
said.
"The North Korean regime's terrorism tactics are getting bolder so we must be more vigilant."
South Korean and U.S. officials had earlier said the killing was probably carried out by North Korean agents.
The grainy CCTV images showed Kim, wearing a light-colored jacket and
trousers and with a backpack on one shoulder, heading for an automatic
check-in counter in the airport departure hall.
A woman approaches Kim from behind on the left and another -
identified by Fuji as the Vietnamese woman, wearing a white shirt -
walks rapidly up behind him from his right, before what appears to be a
scuffle takes place.
In footage taken from another angle, the woman in the white shirt
appears to lunge from behind and throw something over his head, locking
her arms around him briefly.
As the woman in white quickly walks away, the second woman also moves off rapidly in another direction.
Later footage shows the portly, balding middle-aged man stumbling,
wiping his face, and seeking help from people while gesturing to his
eyes before being escorted to a clinic.
The mother of the detained Indonesian woman told Reuters that her
daughter, Siti Aishah, had been duped into believing she was part of a
television show or advertisement.
According to Malaysian media, the Vietnamese suspect, Doan Thi Huong,
told police she had been tricked into taking part in what she thought
was a practical joke.
There is speculation that China's patience with North Korea could be
tested by the killing because Kim had been living in Macau, where he was
headed when he was attacked.
China said on Saturday it had suspended coals imports from the North, a vital source of revenue.
China is seen to be irritated by the North's repeated aggressive
behavior, including two nuclear tests since early 2016 and a Feb. 12
intermediate-range ballistic missile launch, the latest in a series of
missile tests.
[source]
 |
| file photo |
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment