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NIKKEI
ASIAN REVIEW
Trial of Vietnamese defendant in Kim Jong Nam case to resume
Ambassador protests decision after diplomatic bid to drop
case CK
TAN, Nikkei staff writer KUALA
LUMPUR -- The Malaysian high court on Thursday decided to press ahead
with the trial of Doan Thi Huong, a Vietnamese national accused of
murdering North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's half-brother Kim Jong Nam. Her
Indonesian co-defendant Siti Aisyah was released on Monday. The
Vietnamese ambassador to Malaysia protested the decision to resume the
trial, despite a diplomatic push to have her freed following Aisyah's
discharge. "We
are very disappointed with the decision not to release Huong,"
Ambassador Le Quy Quynh told reporters outside the court, adding that
his government would continue trying to secure her release "as soon as
possible."
Quynh's comments follow a plea from Vietnamese foreign minister Pham
Binh Minh to his Malaysian counterpart on Tuesday asking for Huong to be
set free.
Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said
at a weekly press briefing on Thursday: "Representatives of Vietnam’s
Embassy in Malaysia regularly contacted Huong and were present at court
sessions, ready to help and support Huong."
Aisyah was released three days after the prosecution office wrote to the
Indonesian government, referring to a "discharge not amounting to
acquittal after taking into account of good relations between our
respective countries."
Jakarta disclosed the letter to the press to emphasize that it pressured
Kuala Lumpur to release Aisyah . The
Indonesian government is of the opinion that Aisyah was deceived into
playing a role in the incident, but Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has
insisted that the prosecutor's decision was in line with the rule of
law.
Thursday's trial was adjourned until April 1 at the request of Huong's
legal team on health grounds. "The
other reason is to allow the time for the Vietnamese government to talk
to Malaysia," said Hisyam Teh, Huong's main counsel, who has been
appointed by the Vietnamese Bar Federation. Hisyam
said his client was a "scapegoat" just like Aisyah. "The decision is
perverse and does not speak well for our criminal justice system," he
told the court. Four
North Koreans who were jointly charged with the murder on Feb. 13, 2017
remain at large. |