AG: Talks continue with N. Korea to release Malaysians

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is continuing its negotiations with North Korea to secure the release of the nine Malaysians still stranded there, says Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali.

However, he warned that this was a sensitive matter, adding that the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) has ordered that only he or his deputy (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) can issue comments to the media regarding the issue.

“We don’t want anything to jeopardise the ongoing negotiations,” he said when approached at the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights Judicial Colloquium on the sharing of good practices regarding international human rights laws on Monday.

Diplomatic ties between the two countries have soured over the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) on Feb 13.

North Korea has criticised Malaysia’s handling of the investigation, and has even accused it of being part of a conspiracy against the hermit nation.

Tensions escalated on March 7 when North Korea barred all 11 Malaysians there from leaving the country, effectively turning them into hostages.

Two of them, Stella Lim and Nyanaprakash Muniandy of the United Nations’ World Food Programme, got out of Pyongyang and reached Beijing on March 9.

Malaysia issued a similar ban for the 315 North Koreans still in the country.

Apandi said the positive thing was that negotiations are still going on.

“Whatever it is, both parties have agreed to negotiate,” he said.