Indonesia urges for counselor access for Kim Jong Nam's murder suspect

The Indonesian government on Thursday (February 23) urged Malaysia to give counselor access for legal support to an Indonesian suspected to be involved in the killing of the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader.

In the weekly news briefing of Indonesia's foreign ministry, spokesman Arrmantha Nasir said the government will support their citizen to receive their rights in the legal system.

"Until recently what we know is that the passport is an Indonesian passport. That much we have confirmed through our systems. However, we cannot yet say that the person detained at this moment is Indonesian, because we don't know if the person is the same as is on her passport. So far we have been assuming from the media referring to the passport, that is if the passport says she's Indonesian, and then she's Indonesian," Nasir said to media.

Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, died on Monday (February 13) after being assaulted at Kuala Lumpur International Airport with what was thought to be a fast acting poison.

"It's stated that it's obligatory for the detaining country to give consular access which we have yet to receive. Therefore, besides urging through our embassy there and Malaysian embassy here, during the AMM (ASEAN Ministerial Meeting) retreat in Boracay, Philippines, we initiated a trilateral meeting with the foreign ministers of Malaysia and Vietnam. The purpose is to request consular access," Nasir added.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo reiterated that the foreign ministry is speaking to Malaysian counterparts.

"It's stated that it's obligatory for the detaining country to give consular access which we have yet to receive. Therefore, besides urging through our embassy there and Malaysian embassy here, during the AMM (ASEAN Ministerial Meeting) retreat in Boracay, Philippines, we initiated a trilateral meeting with the foreign ministers of Malaysia and Vietnam. The purpose is to request consular access," Widodo spoke too media during his visit to eastern Jakarta.

Two female suspects, an Indonesian identified as Siti Aishah and the other carrying Vietnamese travel documents, have been arrested. A Malaysian man has also been detained and will help with inquiries.

Malaysia and North Korea are diplomatic allies on paper, but have been bickering over custody of Kim's body and Malaysia's handling of the investigation.

So far no family members have come forward to claim the body or provide DNA samples.

Authorities still have yet to identify the cause of death.