The Phnom Penh Post

North Korea orders expulsion of Malaysian envoy

- Satish Cheney and Elizabeth Law

NORTH Korea said yesterday it would expel Malaysia’s ambassador after its own envoy was ordered out of the Southeast Asian nation, in an increasing­ly bitter row over the assassinat­ion of Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur Internatio­nal Airport.

“The Foreign Ministry of the DPRK [North Korea] notifies that the Malaysian ambassador to the DPRK is labelled as a persona non grata . . . and demanded that the ambassador leave the DPRK,” state news agency KCNA said, giving a 48-hour deadline.

The KCNA report came shortly after the North’s ambassador Kang Chol flew home from Kuala Lumpur. In a sign of the secu- rity tensions, police armed with assault rifles had cordoned off the entrance to North Korea’s embassy before the envoy left.

Speaking at Kuala Lumpur Internatio­nal Airport before his flight left, Chol criticised what he called a “pretargete­d investigat­ion by the Malaysian police”.

“They have conducted the autopsy without the consent and attendance of the DPRK [North Korea] Embassy and later arrested a DPRK citizen without any clear evidence showing his involvemen­t in the incident,” he said.

Malaysia’s ambassador to Pyongyang had already been recalled for consultati­ons as the two countries traded barbs over an investigat­ion into the killing of the North Korean leader’s half-brother with VX nerve agent last month.

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed its ambassador to Pyongyang had been officially declared persona non grata.“This reciprocal action is normal in diplomacy,” said ministry director-general Raja Nurshirwan.

North Korea has not acknowledg­ed the dead man’s identity but has repeatedly attacked the murder investigat­ion and demanded a second autopsy, accusing Malaysia of conniving with its enemies.

Airport CCTV footage shows two women approachin­g the 45-year-old victim and appar- ently smearing his face with a cloth. Police say he suffered a seizure and died less than 20 minutes later. Swabs of his face revealed traces of the VX nerve agent.

The two women – one Vietnamese and one Indonesian – are in custody and have been charged with the murder while police are seeking seven North Korean suspects, four of whom left Malaysia on February 13, the day of the assassinat­ion.

Police last week released the only North Korean they had arrested, citing a lack of evidence. South Korea has blamed Pyongyang for the murder, citing what it says was a standing order from leader Kim Jong-un to kill his exiled half-brother.

 ?? MOHD RASFAN/AFP ?? Expelled North Korean ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol (centre) is escorted by police in Kuala Lumpur’s airport yesterday.
MOHD RASFAN/AFP Expelled North Korean ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol (centre) is escorted by police in Kuala Lumpur’s airport yesterday.
 ?? AFP ?? Myanmar soldiers patrol in Laukkai in 2015, during fighting which saw tens of thousands flee to China.
AFP Myanmar soldiers patrol in Laukkai in 2015, during fighting which saw tens of thousands flee to China.

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