Malaysia's Immigration Authorities To Deport North Korean Ri Jong-Chol Today

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), March 3 (Bernama) -- A North Korean man held to assist in the investigation into the murder of a North Korean in Malaysia last month is to be deported Friday, according to immigration authorities. Immigration director-general Mustafar Ali said the police handed Ri Jong-chol to the Immigration Department at 9.30am today for deportation as decided by the Attorney-General's Chambers. Jong-chol, 47, was remanded to assist in the probe into the killing of Kim Chol or Kim Jong-nam on Feb 13 at the KL International Airport 2. Jong-nam is the estranged elder half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "He (Jong-chol) is scheduled to be deported to his home country today," Musfatar said in a statement. Mustafar said Jong-chol would be accompanied back to his country by two officials of the North Korean Embassy here. It had been reported earlier that Kim Chol or Jong-nam was at klia2 at 8am on Feb 13 to board a flight to Macau an hour later when two women suddenly appeared before him and allegedly wiped his face with the palms of their hands which contained what was later identified as the VX nerve agent. Jong-nam reportedly sought help at a customer service counter at the airport and was rushed to the Putrajaya Hospital but died on the way. He had come to Malaysia on Feb 6. Last Wednesday, Indonesian woman Siti Aisyah, 25, and Vietnamese woman Doan Thi Huong, 29, were charged in the Sepang Magistrate's Court with the murder of Kim Chol. -- BERNAMA