A magnet for unsolved mysteries, Malaysians ask ‘why us?’
Following the Cold War-style assassination of Kim Jongnam with a lethal nerve agent, Malaysians have once again found their country the unlikely focus of a dramatic global story, embellished by speculative reports and outlandish theories.
The Southeast Asian nation was used to flying under the international news radar before the disappearance of flight MH370 three years ago triggered what looks set to become one of aviation’s most enduring mysteries.
Now Kim’s murder has thrust it back into the spotlight, at the centre of an equally sensational drama — cooked up beyond its borders and featuring a complex plot and cast that has left many Malaysians bewildered and bemoaning their country’s luck.
The revelation last Friday that the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jongun was killed with lethal nerve agent VX — developed for chemical warfare — after he was ambushed at Kuala Lumpur international airport on February 13 fuelled intense speculation Pyongyang was behind the operation.
But with four of the key suspects having fled to North Korea and a fifth enjoying diplomatic immunity, Malaysian police may again struggle to close the case, as they did with MH370.
Many Malaysians are now starting to tire of the apparently interminable news focus on their country and fear Malaysia will again see its reputation tarnished. “There was once a time you would never hear Malaysia in high level foreign or diplomatic news. Now, it’s like there’s no control — we keep on coming up,” said taxi driver S. Jaganathan, 68.
“So much major news has happened here that ... I wasn’t surprised when I heard the news (of the murder). It’s so often that to me it’s normal now.”
Two women have been charged with Kim’s murder but theories about who was really behind the assassination abound.
Some have suggested that Kim Jong-un may not have ordered the killing, which instead could have been organised by other actors in Pyongyang seeking to impress him, as a tribute to coincide with the birthday of the strongman’s father Kim Jong-il, who died in 2011.
There has also been speculation that Kim, who lived in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau, may have been targeted because of gaming debts.
Self-employed Amir Zaini, 27, said he could not believe Malaysia was again engulfed in such a bizarre tale. “It’s crazy that this is happening in Malaysia again of all places,” he said.
Malaysia had already become accustomed to the international spotlight — and the wilder fringes of people’s imagination — when flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared in 2014.