Vietnam urges Malaysia: Free 2nd woman in noKor killing
HANOI (AP) — Vietnam has urged Malaysia to release the second woman accused of killing the estranged halfbrother of North Korea’s leader.
Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh made the plea in a phone call on Tuesday with his counterpart, Saifuddin Abdullah, according to a statement on the ministry website. It said Minh requested the Malaysian court conduct a fair trial and free Doan Thi Huong.
Malaysia on Monday dropped the murder charge against her co-defendant, Indonesian Siti Aisyah, who has returned to her home village.
Huong’s murder trial is to resume today, and prosecutors are expected to reply to a request by Huong’s lawyers for the government to withdraw the murder charge against her as well.
The two women were accused along with four missing North Koreans of killing Kim Jong-nam by VX nerve agent at a Malaysian airport in 2017.
Both women say they were thought they were playing a prank for a TV show.
Prosecutors did not give any reason for the remarkable retreat in their case against Aisyah, whose home government had lobbied hard for her release.
Vietnam has pushed less hard on behalf of Huong, and recently hosted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for an official visit and a summit with US President Donald Trump.
Indonesia’s government said its continued high-level lobbying had resulted in Aisyah’s release and alleged the young migrant worker had no idea she was being “manipulated by North Korean intelligence.”