Malaysia to resume trial of Doan Thi Huong in January 2018

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – The trial of Vietnamese citizen Doan Thi Huong and Indonesian citizen Siti Aisyah, the suspects in the murder of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) national Kim Chol, will continue in January next year.

According to Maridam, Huong’s interpreter at the trial, the Shah Alam High Court of Selangor State will resume the trial with two hearings, the first from January 22-24 and the second from January 29-30. Next hearings in February and following months will be announced by the court later.

Between 11 and 15 witnesses will be summoned in the coming time, she said, adding that the November 30 hearing saw the presence of a policeman as witness who directly interrogated Huong when she was arrested at the airport one day after the murder.

At the court, both Huong and the Indonesian citizen pleaded not guilty. They said they came to Malaysia to attend a TV gameshow and did not know they were enticed to engage in the killing.

Four other suspects, who are said to be instigators, have not yet been arrested. Malaysia issued wanted notices for the suspects and asked for international police’s help to hunt them.

Maridam said Huong is in a good condition and wishes to return home.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia will continue working closely with Vietnamese agencies concerned and Malaysian lawyers defending Huong to ensure the trial is fair and objective and her legitimate interests are protected.

Kim Chol, as named in his passport, died at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 on February 13. Malaysia said Kim Chol was poisoned, but the DPRK insisted that he died of a heart attack, plus high blood pressure and diabetes.

According to the Malaysian law, Huong would face the death penalty if found guilty.-VNA