Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 9 october 2017

Kim’s murder trial to resume with lab visit for VX evidence

smearing VX on his face port, establish that VX killed
at a crowded airport ter- him and provide evidence
minal in Kuala Lumpur on linking VX to the two sus-
Feb. 13. They face a man- pects.
datory death sentence if Raja, who is the only Ma-
convicted. Defense law- laysian with a doctorate
yers have said the women in chemical weapons
were duped by suspected analysis, testified he found
North Korean agents into traces of VX on Huong’s
believing they were play- white sweater and finger-
ing a harmless prank for a nail clippings, and on Ai-
hidden TV-camera show. syah’s sleeveless T-shirt.
VX is banned by an inter- Huong was seen on airport
national treaty as a weap- surveillance videos wear-
on of mass destruction but ing a sweater emblazoned
is believed to be part of with big black letters read-
North Korea’s chemical ing “LOL,” the acronym for
weapons arsenal. “laughing out loud.”
Kim was the eldest son in Raja also confirmed that
the current generation of he found VX on Kim’s face,
North Korea’s dynastic rul- eyes, clothing, and in his
ers but was believed to blood and urine samples.
This combination of the Oct. 2, 2017 file photos shows Indonesian Siti Aisyah, left, and Vietnamese have been cast out by Raja testified that VX can
Doan Thi Huong, right, escorted by police as they leave a court hearing in Shah Alam, Malaysia, his father and had lived be safely removed from
outside Kuala Lumpur. On Monday, Oct. 9, 2017, the trial of two women accused of murdering abroad for years. He re- the palm of a hand by
the estranged half brother of North Korea’s leader enters its second week with the court moving portedly never met current scrubbing it with water
temporarily to a high-security laboratory to view evidence tainted with the toxic VX nerve agent.
(AP Photo/Daniel Chan, File) leader Kim Jong Un, who within 15 minutes of expo-
is widely believed to have sure, in a possible explana-
By EILEEN NG suspects, will hold court at yer for Vietnamese suspect perceived his older sibling tion of why the two women
Associated Press the laboratory for chemi- Doan Thi Huong, told The as a threat and targeted didn’t show any symptoms
KUALA LUMPUR, Malay- cal weapons analysis to Associated Press that the him for assassination. of poisoning.
sia (AP) — The trial of two examine samples of the visit to Raja’s lab is purely Last week, VX-tainted Raja, the eighth witness
women accused of killing women’s clothing before for safety reasons. He said evidence from Kim Jong to take the stand, is to be
the estranged half brother they are formally submitted the concept of holding a Nam’s body and clothing cross-examined by de-
of North Korea’s leader en- as evidence. formal court session at the was presented in court in fense lawyers on Monday
ters its second week with The decision came after lab is to legalize the visit, sealed transparent bags. It after the lab visit.
the court moving tempo- government chemist Raja which is expected to take was not removed from the Pathologist Mohamad
rarily Monday to a high- Subramaniam told the an hour, after which the bags, but the judge and Shah Mahmood also tes-
security laboratory to view court that VX found on the trial will resume in the court court officials wore surgi- tified there were no signs
evidence tainted with the clothing may still be active. building. cal masks and gloves as a that a heart attack or other
toxic VX nerve agent. Such a move is not unusual Huong and Siti Aisyah of In- safety precaution. factors had contributed to
High Court Judge Azmi in criminal cases in Malay- donesia pleaded not guilty During the week’s four Kim’s death. He conclud-
Ariffin declared that pros- sia, where judges often visit at the start of their trial last trial sessions, prosecutors ed in his autopsy report
ecutors and defense law- crime scenes. week to charges of mur- sought to reconstruct Kim’s that Kim died of “acute VX
yers, along with the two Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, law- dering Kim Jong Nam by final moments at the air- poisoning.”
“It’s no surprise,” said Hisy-
Abe: am, Huong’s lawyer. “We
Japan fully behind US on pressuring North Korea know their (prosecution)
narration; we know the
evidence that they have.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s to deliver on past prom- bility has reached to this dry, makings fools of U.S. We have a response; we
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ises to give up its pursuit of level and we cannot afford negotiators. Sorry, but only have an answer to every
said Sunday that his gov- nuclear technology made being deceived by them one thing will work!” evidence they have ad-
ernment fully supports the during “six-party” talks with again.”Abe did not specifi- Abe did say his govern- duced so far.”
U.S. stance on pressuring Japan, China, the U.S., Rus- cally comment on a tweet ment supports the U.S. Gooi Soon Seong, the law-
North Korea over its nuclear sia and South Korea. during the weekend about stance that more pressure yer for Aisyah, has said the
weapons program, with all “They used the framework North Korea by U.S. Presi- is needed and all options detection of VX on the
options on the table. of the dialogue to earn dent Donald Trump. are on the table.Concerns women is not enough to
In a televised debate Sun- time so that they could de- Trump said that 25 years over North Korea are a top convict them.
day among leaders of ma- velop their nuclear tech- of negotiations had not issue in a Japanese parlia- “If I have the knife, it
jor political parties, Abe nology,” Abe said. “As the worked, with “agreements mentary election sched- doesn’t mean I killed the
said North Korea had failed result, their nuclear capa- violated before the ink was uled for Oct. 22.q person. q