Two globally shocking mysteries of Malaysia

Two of the world's most shocking mysteries are in the hands of Malaysian investigators. Will they find satisfactory answers?

One of the two cases was the murder of a North Korean citizen believed to be Kim Jong-nam, the elder brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in February. The other was the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 three years ago.

In the poisoning case of 'Kim Jong-nam', investigators found more evidence and arrested two suspects. As for the MH370 mystery, the investigation has made no progress in finding the reason why the plane carrying 239 passengers and crew disappeared without a trace in the Indian Ocean.

1. MH370 plane crash

There is little hope of finding MH370. Photo: AP.

Hopes that the world’s greatest aviation mystery would soon be solved were dashed in January when authorities announced they were calling off the deep-sea search for the plane. The $160 million search, which spanned a large swath of the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia, has turned up no trace of the Boeing 777 that disappeared on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The decision to stop searching for the plane has left the families of the victims deeply disappointed, as many of the big questions they and the public have raised remain unanswered.

Three years on, the investigation into the incident continues. In Australia, an international team of experts is studying whether an area north of the original search zone is where the plane crashed. Last week, Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said there was an 85 percent chance the plane was in the new 25,000-square-kilometer area.

Australia, Malaysia and China – the three countries that funded the previous search – say they have no plans to fund a new search without evidence of MH370's exact 'resting' location.

Malaysia is expected to release a final technical report on what happened to the plane this year, based on evidence and data collected.

2. The 'Kim Jong Nam' case

Suspect Doan Thi Huong in the Kim Chol case. Photo: AP.

North Korean citizen Kim Chol died less than 20 minutes after he was attacked by two women with VX nerve agent on February 13 at Kuala Lumpur airport.

Malaysian authorities have collected a lot of evidence and arrested two female subjects. However, they encountered many difficulties and complications in the process of finding the exact answer.

Two suspects have been arrested and charged with murder. Police are currently hunting seven North Koreans, four of whom left Malaysia on the day of the murder, while three are believed to be still in the country. Among them is a North Korean embassy official and an employee of North Korea’s state airline, Air Koryo. Police believe they are hiding inside the embassy.

North Korea has denied the VX claims, saying the two women could not have poisoned Mr Kim without harming themselves or others. It has also objected to Malaysia’s autopsy and refused to allow the suspects to be questioned.

AP news agency quoted lawyer Sankara Nair as saying that arresting the four suspects who have returned to Pyongyang is an extremely difficult task, even with the North Korean diplomat still in Malaysia, although Kuala Lumpur has asked Interpol for help.

The North Korean embassy official is protected by diplomatic immunity and cannot be reached unless his immunity is stripped by the Pyongyang government.

The police could arrest the Air Koryo employee if he was still in Malaysia. But if he was hiding in the embassy, ​​the police could not enter the building and would have to wait outside for him to come out.

In the absence of a number of suspects, the trial of the two women, including Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, will depend on the evidence gathered by the police. The two women have insisted they thought they were taking part in a TV prank.

“If there is not enough evidence and more needs to be gathered, the case will be very limited,” said lawyer Nair. According to him, if prosecutors cannot prove the motive and purpose of the suspects, the charge will be reduced to causing death by “unintentional act” and the penalty will not be high.

According to Vietnamnet.vn