Jakarta (Antara Babel) - Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi and her
Vietnamese and Malaysian counterparts met in the Philippines to discuss
the alleged involvement of an Indonesian and a Vietnamese citizen in the
murder of a North Korean in Malaysia.
The meeting was held in Boracay, the Philippines, on Monday (Feb
20) on the sidelines of the ASEAN Ministerial Retreat Session, the
Indonesian Foreign Ministry noted in its press statement made available
in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Minister Marsudi met her Vietnamese and Malaysian counterparts,
Panh Binh Minh and Anifah, to follow up on her earlier communications
with the latter on the arrest of an Indonesian and a Vietnamese citizen
who were allegedly involved in the murder of a North Korean, believed to
be Kim Jong-nam, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
During the meeting, the Malaysian foreign minister shed light on
the developments in the investigation conducted by the Malaysian police.
Anifah said the investigation process is still ongoing, and several
pieces of crucial information have yet to be obtained from the arrested
Indonesian and Vietnamese citizens.
Based on the Malaysian law, if the investigation process is still
underway, no one apart from the investigators are granted permission to
meet the arrested suspects.
Speaking in connection with the matter, Marsudi reaffirmed
Indonesias request to Malaysia to grant consular access for the
Indonesian citizen. She reminded that consular access should be granted
based on the Vienna Convention.
Although the staffers of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and
the Indonesian lawyers have met the investigators and have obtained
information that the Indonesian suspect is in good health, yet the
consular access is still pending.
Marsudi pointed out that the granting of the consular access could
assist and facilitate communication between the investigators and the
Indonesian suspect.
The same request was also put forth by the Vietnamese foreign
minister who stressed that granting consular access is the basic right
of a foreigner being detained in other country.
In response to the requests, the Malaysian foreign minister vowed
to soon coordinate with the Malaysian police, so that consular access
will be granted immediately though the investigation is still ongoing.
Malaysian Police Chief Insp. Gen. Khalid Abu Bakar remarked that
the Malaysian police have arrested a woman with an Indonesian passport.
The woman known by her initials as SA was arrested on grounds of
involvement in the murder of Jong-nam, the stepbrother of North Korean
leader Kim Jong-un.
"Based on the passport, SA is known to be from Serang in Indonesia.
She was identified based on the CCTV recording at the airport. She was
alone at the time of the arrest," Bakar noted.
Jong-nam, a 45-year-old North Korean, was believed to be murdered
by two women who splashed a chemical substance on his face at the
Departure Terminal of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 on Monday
(Feb 13), at 9 a.m. local time when he was scheduled to fly to Macao.
Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia discuss N. Korean Murder Case
Rabu, 22 Februari 2017 11:29 WIB
Based on the passport, SA is known to be from Serang in Indonesia. She was identified based on the CCTV recording at the airport. She was alone at the time of the arrest,