Jong-Nam’s death an isolated case — Ahmad Zahid

From page 1 Asked if the body would be released after an autopsy, Ahmad Zahid said: “Yes, we have to follow medical procedure, especially the forensic part of it.”

When asked if Jong-nam’s death had been categorised as sudden death or murder, he said it was an operational matter and the police would give an official statement on the matter.

Replying to another question, Ahmad Zahid said the death had not affected bilateral ties between North Korea and Malaysia.

He said the government would maintain and strengthen diplomatic relations with any country that had their embassies in Malaysia.

“We recognise that diplomatic relations will be strengthened and we would like to facilitate if they have any problem pertaining to their security in our country,” he said.

Ahmad Zahid said the incident was an isolated case which could have happened in any country.

He said no Pyongyang official had contacted him directly or sought his help but he was aware that they had been in contact with Wisma Putra.

On speculation that North Korea was behind the death of Jong-nam, Ahmad Zahid said it was merely speculation.

Ahmad Zahid also gave an assurance on the safety at Malaysia’s airports, including KL International Airport 2 ( klia2), saying it was at the highest level and that the death was an isolated case.

“We have high- definition closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, the (authorities’) omnipresence and security system,” he said.

In Jong-nam’s case, he said, the Malaysian authorities were monitoring the footage of CCTV cameras and would be getting details from those arrested.

Ahmad Zahid said that at Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, it was stressed that the government would protect visitors to the country and would not compromise on any security issue created by Malaysians or foreigners.

He said the Cabinet also agreed that Malaysia would facilitate the investigation into the death of Jong-nam. Asked when and why Jongnam entered Malaysia, Ahmad Zahid said Malaysia’s Immigration Act allowed any legal visitor to enter the country. “When he entered, why was he here and why was he flying to Macau, these are operational questions which the DirectorGeneral of the Immigration Department or the police will be able to answer,” he said. — Bernama