"Yes, the passport is genuine, and she is an Indonesian citizen," Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Abdurrahman Mohammad Fachir said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesias Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Abdurrahman Mohammad Fachir has confirmed the authenticity of the passport belonging to Siti Aisyah, an Indonesian woman who allegedly murdered North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns half-brother Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia.

"Yes, the passport is genuine, and she is an Indonesian citizen," Fachir stated at the office of the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs in Jakarta on Friday.

He explained that currently only the data regarding the authenticity of Aisyahs passport had recently been obtained by the Indonesian Embassy to Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.

"Currently, we do not know whether another Indonesian citizen is involved or if (Siti) has a connection with an outside agency," he remarked.

According to Fachir, the Indonesian Embassy is focusing on gaining consular access to be able to meet Aisyah and provide legal assistance, so that her legal rights will be fully met.

"Currently, (the Indonesian Embassy to Malaysia) has not met Siti, but they should be granted access to meet her, as it concerns our citizen," he affirmed.

"Hence, when a foreign citizen is involved in a legal case, the host country is obliged to convey the information to the representative of the concerned country. Since yesterday, the staff of the Indonesian Embassy to Malaysia was already in Selangor," Fachir noted.

Besides sending the staff of the Indonesian Embassy to Malaysia, he said the Indonesian Foreign Ministry had also continued to communicate with the authority of the neighboring country, which is still intensifying the investigation into the murder case of Jong-nam.

Jong-nam, a 45-year-old man, was killed by two women who splashed some chemical liquid on his face at the departure terminal of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 on Monday, (Feb 13), at around 9 a.m. local time before leaving for Macau.

The two women then got into a taxi and fled. One of the women named Aisyah was arrested at the airport on Wednesday (Feb 15) while trying to flee Malaysia by boarding an aircraft.

Head of the Royal Malaysian Police Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar, as quoted by The Star on Thursday, said the woman carrying an Indonesian passport was arrested on Thursday at 2 a.m. local time.

Another suspect, a 29-year-old woman, was carrying a Vietnamese travel document on behalf of Doan Thi Huong.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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