Row over ban on Malaysian citizens from leaving North Korea is heating up

On February 13th, Kim Jong Nam, estranged half brother of Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The assassins used VX nerve agent which is considered a weapon of mass destruction by the UN.

An outraged Malayasia began investigating the matter and has already identified eight North Koreans as suspects. Three of the suspects including a diplomat and an airline employee at North Korea’s state airline are holed up in the North Korean embassy. The two people arrested in connection with the assassination are a Vietnamese woman and an Indonesian woman.

Amidst escalating tension between the two countries North Korea has banned all Malaysian nationals living in the country from leaving until the situation is resolved. As a retaliatory step, Malaysia has also barred all North Koreans from leaving Malaysia. According to news reports, there are total 11 Malaysians residing in North Korea including four embassy staff and their family members and two representatives from the United Nations.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak condemned the move taken by North Korea, he said, “This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms”.

After the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, diplomatic relations between Malaysia and North Korea began to deteriorate rapidly. Though the death was considered natural in the beginning, it was soon evident that Kim Jong Nam was poisoned. North Korea asked Malaysia to hand over the body without an autopsy. Malaysia accused North Korea as being responsible for the assassination, Pyongyang has strongly objected to the accusation.