Malaysia To Decide On North Koreans In The Country - Deputy PM

KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 (Bernama) -- A decision will be announced on Monday whether North Koreans with expired work permits will be repatriated or prohibited from leaving the country, said Deputy Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. He said there were 315 North Korean nationals in the country as of now. "We (the government) make rational decisions and take rational actions. God willing, they will produce the best results, not only in terms of diplomatic relations but for humanitarian reasons as well," he said. Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, spoke to reporters after attending the opening of a seminar on addressing child sexual crimes at the Putra World Trade Centre here. He was asked to comment on the developments to ease the tension between Malaysia and North Korea in the wake of the murder of Kim Jong-nam, elder half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in Malaysia on Feb 13. The diplomatic row erupted after North Korean Ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol made baseless allegations against Malaysia over the handling of the case, resulting in Malaysia declaring him persona non grata. He left Kuala Lumpur on March 6. North Korea retaliated in the same manner against the Malaysian ambassador in Pyongyang. On March 7, North Korea prohibited Malaysians in that country from leaving and Malaysia also took similar action in terms of the North Koreans in this country. Ahmad Zahid said negotiations were going on between Malaysia and North Korea to ease the tension and find solutions. He also said that the Malaysian government had yet to receive any official request from the next-of-kin to claim Jong-nam's body. "If there is a claim, we will adopt several approaches and obtain confirmation from the Attorney-General's Chambers on the handling of the remains," he said. --BERNAMA