Japan 'Salutes' Malaysia's Efficiency In Resolving Crisis With North Korea - Senator

KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Government’s diplomatic efficiency in resolving the crisis with North Korea following the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, is seen as a rare and remarkable feat. Malaysian Senator Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor said the government had successfully negotiated at international level, even in conflicts and very serious crises. “The episode where the government negotiated with the North Korean Government and resulted in the safe return of nine Malaysians from Pyongyang is indeed, admired by the Japanese. “They salute Malaysia for successfully bringing home Malaysians while Japan had failed to bring home more than 100 of its citizens from North Korea,” he said when debating the motion of thanks on the Royal Address of the Malaysia’s King in the Dewan Negara (Malaysian Senate) on Wednesday. Mohd Anwar also said earlier that the government's negotiations with other countries such as the Philippines, Myanmar, Arab countries and in the Asia Pacific region prior to this, had gone well, too. He then touched on national defence – a force to be reckoned with - as the Royal Malaysia Police and the Malaysian Armed Forces had always worked professionally and were in a state of preparedness to maintain the security of the country. He said the government's efforts in providing sophisticated assets comparable to national defence assets among the countries in the region proved the government prioritised the safety and security of the people. "While there may be people who still have doubts on the preparedness of (some of our) assets but here, I share my own experience when I joined the operation of the submarine and I was impressed with the level of competence of its personnel handling the highly sophisticated submarine,” added Mohd Anwar. The sitting continues on Thursday. --BERNAMA