North Korea, Malaysia ban each other’s citizens from leaving
KUALA LUMPUR: North Korea closed its borders on Tuesday to Malaysians who want to leave the country, spurring Malaysia to issue a retaliatory order and drawing hundreds of ordinary people into an increasingly bitter diplomatic battle over the killing of an exiled member of North Korea’s ruling family.
Malaysian PM Najib Razak denounced North Korea’s order as a violation of international law, calling it “an abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage”. Police have been ordered to stop North Koreans from leaving Malaysia “until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea”, Najib said in a statement.
The sudden diplomatic escalation came more than two weeks after Kim Jong Nam, the long-exiled half brother of North Korea’s ruler, was killed in a poison attack at the Kuala Lumpur airport. “I can’t think of anything like this’’ happening for years, said Lalit Mansingh, a New Delhi-based Indian diplomat, said of North Korea’s directive. “This is way out of normal diplomatic practice.” But North Korea has a long history of surprising the international community.
“It’s the North Korean way of doing things — dramatic intimidating gestures and then waiting for the other side to plead for some concessions,” said Leszek Buszynski, a national security scholar at Australian National University. Officials in Kuala Lumpur say there are 11 Malaysians currently in North Korea : three working at the embassy, two UN employees and six family members.
About 1,000 North Koreans are believed to be in Malaysia, until recently one of the few countries where North Koreans could travel without a visa.
Malaysian PM Najib Razak denounced North Korea’s order as a violation of international law, calling it “an abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage”. Police have been ordered to stop North Koreans from leaving Malaysia “until we are assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea”, Najib said in a statement.
The sudden diplomatic escalation came more than two weeks after Kim Jong Nam, the long-exiled half brother of North Korea’s ruler, was killed in a poison attack at the Kuala Lumpur airport. “I can’t think of anything like this’’ happening for years, said Lalit Mansingh, a New Delhi-based Indian diplomat, said of North Korea’s directive. “This is way out of normal diplomatic practice.” But North Korea has a long history of surprising the international community.
“It’s the North Korean way of doing things — dramatic intimidating gestures and then waiting for the other side to plead for some concessions,” said Leszek Buszynski, a national security scholar at Australian National University. Officials in Kuala Lumpur say there are 11 Malaysians currently in North Korea : three working at the embassy, two UN employees and six family members.
About 1,000 North Koreans are believed to be in Malaysia, until recently one of the few countries where North Koreans could travel without a visa.
