KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian investigators used a DNA sample from a son of Kim Jong-Nam to confirm the identity of the murdered half-brother of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un, the deputy prime minister said Thursday.

The 45-year-old, who was living in exile in the Chinese territory of Macau, was poisoned with the lethal nerve agent VX in a brazen Cold War-style assassination on February 13 in Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for his death, but the North has rejected those claims and has never confirmed the identity of the victim, who was carrying a passport bearing the name of Kim Chol when he was attacked.

Malaysia officially confirmed his identity on Friday, later revealing that authorities used his fingerprints and a DNA sample from one of his children to do so.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Thursday revealed that the sample was “taken from the son… who is living abroad”.

Ahmad Zahid told reporters that Malaysian officials travelled overseas to an undisclosed location to collect the DNA sample.

Read also: Where in the world is Kim Jong Nam’s son? Not here, Taiwan says

“The DNA was taken and brought to Malaysia and matching was made and we confirmed that the body belonged to Kim Jong-Nam.”

Two women – one Vietnamese and one Indonesian – have been arrested and charged with the murder. Airport CCTV footage shows them approaching the victim and apparently smearing his face with a piece of cloth.

Investigators are also seeking seven North Korean suspects, four of whom left Malaysia on the day of the murder. Interpol has issued an international arrest warrant for the four men.

The police chief has said he believes they fled to Pyongyang while the other three are hiding in North Korea’s embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Pyongyang has denounced the investigation as an attempt to smear the secretive regime, insisting that Kim most likely died of a heart attack.

The killing has triggered a bitter row between Malaysia and North Korea, which have expelled each other’s ambassadors and barred their citizens from leaving.

Kim’s wife and children, who were living with him in Macau, went into hiding after the murder. He was known to have at least one son, 21-year-old Kim Han-Sol, who some fear could be targeted next.

In what may be the first comments by the family since Kim’s death, a young man identifying himself as Han-Sol appeared in a video that circulated last week. The claim was later verified by South Korea’s intelligence agency.

But he did not reveal his whereabouts or offer to claim his father’s body, which was embalmed recently to stop it decomposing as it lies in a morgue in Kuala Lumpur.

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2017-02-15 09:27:54

Photo Gallery

Half-brother of N Korean leader assassinated in Malaysia

Source:

AFP

Reuters

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JAKARTA – Customised Arabian sabres, Rolex watches, gold ballpoint pens and diamond rings.

These were among the gifts given to Indonesian officials by their Saudi counterparts during the visit of King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud earlier this month.

A list of the gifts, which were declared by government officials, was released by Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Thursday (Mar 16).

Read also: 10 interesting facts about King Salman’s visit to Indonesia

KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah did not identify the recipients of each gift but he told reporters that based on a preliminary valuation, the gifts could be worth more than 5 billion rupiah or about S$520,000.

It is customary for royalty or heads of states to exchange momentoes or gifts during official visits but few are known to lavish on their hosts as well as the Saudis.

Last week, The Jakarta Post reported that National Police Chief Tito Karnavian was presented with a golden sword by Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Osama Mohammed Abdullah Al Shuaibi just prior to the King’s arrival.

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2017-03-02 11:50:22

Photo Gallery

Saudi king visits Indonesia bringing along huge entourage, limos, escalators

Source:

AFP

Reuters

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Although the police had planned to display the sword at its headquarters, the gift was duly declared to the KPK.

This is because Indonesia’s anti-graft laws require all government officials to report any gift or cash they receive to the KPK within 30 days of receiving them.

It was the same for the Foreign Ministry, which also reportedly received a sword from the Kingdom during the visit.

King Salman’s visit from Mar 1 to 12 was the first by a Saudi monarch to Indonesia in 47 years. It included a royal entourage of 1,500 people, including 10 princes and 25 ministers.

The King also went for an extended holiday in Bali, where he stayed at the St Regis Bali resort, which closed part of its beach to the public for the monarch.

Read also: 1-day Bali travel guide fit for a king – King Salman, that is

According to the Jakarta Globe news, Bali authorities said the King left the island with almost 17 tonnes of cargo, comprising more than six tonnes of local purchases.

“We estimate that 300 billion rupiah was spent during their holiday,” said Bali Tourism Agency chief Anak Agung Gede Yuniartha on Monday.

These include billings for hundreds of hotel rooms, the rental of 300 limousines, as well as visits to tourist spots and shopping.

King Salman’s Asia tour also included stops in Malaysia, Brunei, Japan and China. He also plans to stop over in the Maldives as well as Jordan before heading home.

This article was first published on March 16, 2017.
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