Women accused in Kim Jong Nam murder brought back to Kuala Lumpur airport

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Indonesian Siti Aisyah, right, and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong second left, are escorted by police at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017. The two women accused of killing Kim Jong Nam, the North Korean leader’s half brother, are touring at the Malaysian airport as participants in the murder trial visit the scene of the attack. (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf)

It’s the murder trial that has captured the attention of Malaysia and the world. The latest drama didn’t come from the courtroom, but from the scene of the crime. The two women charged with killing the half-brother of DPRK leader Kim Jong-Un were taken back to Kuala Lumpur’s airport. CGTN’s Rian Maelzer followed along.

It was the defense teams who requested to visit key sites at the budget air terminal, where the prosecution contend Vietnamese defendant Doan Thi Huong and Indonesian defendant Siti Aisyah smeared the deadly nerve agent, VX, on Kim Jong Nam’s face.

The dozens of heavily armed police commandos rushing around the terminal predictably caused anxiety among travelers. The High Court judge Azmi Ariffin declared the visit as an open court session.  Ariffin and the legal teams accompanied the two accused. 

High Court judge Azmi Ariffin (C) and lawyers for Vietnamese defendant Huong, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik (2nd, R) and Naran Singh (4th, L) talk to each others at the low-cost carrier Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) during a visit to the scene of the murder. (AFP PHOTO / MOHD RASFAN)

Frantically rushing around the vast air terminal in flak jackets took its toll on the accused, who ended up being pushed around in wheel chairs. “I think Siti Aisyah was exhausted and same thing with Doan. So we requested the wheelchair so we requested for the wheelchairs to be brought in,” Naran Singh, a lawyer for Huong said.

Indonesian Siti Aisyah escorted by police at KLIA2 budget terminal in Sepang, Malaysia, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf)

They visited key locations within the airport, including:

  • the cafe where Aisyah is alleged to have met with one of the DPRK men involved in the plot,
  • the area where the attack is alleged to have taken place,
  • the bathroom where the prosecution say the women washed their hands of the nerve agent, and
  • the clinic where Kim Jong Nam was taken.

“It’s purely factual this morning, for all parties to have a look exactly what the locations are, the relevant places, and also at the routes taken by the relevant parties,” Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, another lawyer for Huong said.

“It’s first hand knowledge rather than seeing it through the CCTV. We are happy that at least we are able to find out the actual locations and actual situation. And with all this knowledge it will enable us to do better cross examination,” Gooi Soon Seng, a lawyer for Aisyah said.

Gooi Soon Seng (C), lawyer for Indonesian defendant Siti Aisyah is escorted by police personnel at the low-cost carrier Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) in Sepang during a visit to the scene of the murder as part of the Shah Alam High Court trial process on October 24, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / MOHD RASFAN)

The prosecution are set to continue presenting their case for another five weeks. The judge will then have to decide whether the women will be required to mount their defense, or whether he will let them walk free.