Malaysians In Pyongyang Are Contacted Almost Daily

CYBERJAYA (Malaysia), March 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysians in Pyongyang are contacted almost daily to find out their development, said Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican. He said he contacted the Malaysians in North Korea almost everyday and their conditions were reportedly 'very good'. The last time he contacted them was on Wednesday and he would contact them again on Thursday, he said. "I talk with them almost daily on the directive of the Foreign Minister (Anifah Aman)," he said when met by reporters here Thursday. To date, nine Malaysians were still in Pyongyang and were not allowed to leave the country under a temporary ban imposed by North Korea. They were Malaysian Embassy personnel in Pyongyang including members of their families. Last week, North Korea barred Malaysians from leaving the hermit kingdom which also resulted in Malaysia taking the same action on North Korean nationals here. The diplomatic spat was triggered between Malaysia and North Korea following disagreements on several matters on the killing of Kim Jong-nam, the elder brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the KL International Airport 2 on Feb 13. --BERNAMA