by Joseph Masilamany

The victim’s body is at the centre of a diplomatic row. Malaysian sources claim that the dead man’s eldest son is in the country to claim his father’s remains. Investigations into the murder of Kim Jong-un’s half-brother continue. Malaysia responds angrily to harsh allegations from North Korea’s ambassador.

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) – Malaysian media are reporting that Kim Jong-nam’s eldest son, 20-year-old Kim Han-sol, is in Kuala Lumpur to claim his father’s body. The latter is in at the centre of a diplomatic row since North Korea has demanded the remains be handed over and voiced its opposition to an autopsy.

Malaysia has rejected North Korean demands, and went ahead with the post-mortem, whose results should be made public tomorrow. It has also refused to release the body until a next-of-kind supplies a DNA sample and claims it in person.

Despite the lack of an official confirmation, local media and intelligence sources report that Kim Han-sol arrived in Kuala Lumpur on a flight from Macau, where his family lives.

Witnesses said that earlier today, Malaysian official cars, followed by several vehicles without license plates, arrived at Kuala Lumpur Hospital where Kim Jong-nam’s body is being held.

Meanwhile, investigators accuse five North Koreans in connection with the 13 February murder. Four of them have already left Malaysia on a direct flight to Pyongyang. A 28-yaer-old Vietnamese woman and a 25-year-old Indonesian and her boyfriend remain in custody.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak for the first time has weighed in the growing row between Malaysia and North Korea over the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea’s leader, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 13 February.

"We have no reason why we want to do something to paint North Korea in a bad light, but we will be objective," Najib told reporters.

The Malaysian leader rejected North Korean charges of “colluding and playing into the gallery of external forces”, namely of working with South Korea to divert attention from the latter’s current political crisis.

The allegation comes from North Korea’s ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol, who called for a joint probe into the murder, expressing mistrust vis-à-vis the work of Malaysian police.

Responding to Kang, Najib said that Malaysia's police and doctors will be professional in the investigation.

"I have absolute confidence that they are very objective in what they do,” he said; " we will be objective and we expect them (the North Koreans) to understand that we apply the rule of law in Malaysia."

Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-un’s half-brother, was travelling under the alias Kim Chol, when he was poisoned by two women at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

South Korea blamed North Korea for the attack, citing a "standing order" from its leader to kill his older brother. One assassination attempt in 2012 failed.

Malaysian authorities yesterday summoned North Korean Ambassador Kang over its allegation that the inquiry was politically motivated and that Malaysia was conspiring with "hostile forces." The Malaysian Foreign Ministry strongly rejects the accusations.

For his part, Ambassador Kang Chol continues to criticise the murder investigation, threatening a diplomatic war.

He accused Malaysian police of threatening the family of a 47-year-old North Korean man, Ri Jong Chol, the fourth suspect arrested in the case, and beating his teenage son, claiming police did not have a warrant to raid his condominium or have any evidence against him.

"They even pointed guns at his family members to threaten their lives and beat his teenage son in the face," Kang said after Malaysia recalled its ambassador to North Korea on Monday, and summoned Kang himself at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

"This is the human rights abuse that can be seen only in US gang films," he added at a press conference outside the embassy.

In a statement issued during Kang’s meeting with Malaysia's Deputy Secretary General for Bilateral Affairs, Ambassador Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin, the Foreign Ministry said it viewed Kang Chol's criticisms as "baseless" and that the Malaysian government takes "very seriously any unfounded attempt to tarnish its reputation".

• malaysia
• north
• south
• korea
• kim jong-nam
• jong-un
• tensions
• diplomacy