Doan Thi Huong (C) (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has repeatedly requested Malaysia to ensure afair trial for and legitimate rights of citizen Doan Thi Huong, a suspect inthe murder of a Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) national at KualaLumpur airport in 2017, the foreign ministry’s spokeswoman has said.
Speaking at the ministry’s regular press conference on March 14, spokeswomanLe Thi Thu Hang said that over the past days, Vietnam’s authorised agencieshave conducted various citizen protection measures to ensure fairness, as wellas legitimate rights and interests for Huong.
On March 12, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh talkedover the phone with Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah to discussseveral issues, including the trial of Huong.
A day later, Minister of Justice Le Thanh Long sent a letter to AttorneyGeneral of Malaysia Tommy Thomas. The following day, Deputy Foreign MinisterNguyen Quoc Dung met Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam Zamruni Khalid to ask theMalaysian court to ensure the fair trial and release Huong, said Hang.
She also shared that Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Le Quy Quynhattended the March 14 trial to provide support for Huong if necessary, andvisited her after the trial.
The spokeswoman affirmed that soon after the incident occurred, the Ministryof Foreign Affairs directed related agencies to meet Huong and her family, aswell as finding lawyers and witnesses as regulated by the host country’s lawsand international practices.
The Vietnamese side has also mentioned the case during meetings at alllevels, even the most senior levels, with the Malaysian side, she added.
Huong and an Indonesian woman Siti Aisyah were accused of poisoning theDPRK citizen travelling under passport name of Kim Chol with liquid VX, abanned chemical weapon, at Kuala Lumpur airport in February 2017.
However, the Indonesian citizen was released on March 11 after theMalaysian court dropped the murder charge against her.–VNA
VNA
