REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - The Indonesian government has followed and lauded the ongoing legal process undertaken by its Malaysian counterpart in investigating Siti Aisyah, named as a suspect in the murder of North Korean Kim Jong Nam in Malaysia. "We laud the ongoing legal process in Malaysia and are still awaiting consular access to be granted. This will be our focus," Director of Indonesian Citizens Protection of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Muhammad Iqbal stated here on Wednesday.

It was reported that the Malaysian police had filed a request with the Federal Court to extend the detention for Aisyah and the other suspects. "The fact that the investigators had requested an extension of detention for seven days has shown that the current evidence is yet sufficient to be presented to the prosecution," Iqbal noted.

Aisyah, a second woman traveling on a Vietnamese passport, and a boyfriend of one of them have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the death of Jong Nam. The Malaysian authority has detained the fourth suspect, a North Korean citizen, in connection with the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

On Friday, Aisyah and the other suspects were part of a crime scene reconstruction at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The Malaysian authorities revealed on Tuesday that they had yet to determine the cause of death in the killing of the North Korean leader's half-brother and had still to confirm the identity, as no next of kin has come forward. "It means that it is still too early to arrive at a legal conclusion in this case," Iqbal affirmed.

Earlier this week, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi had met her Vietnamese and Malaysian counterparts, Panh Binh Minh and Anifah during the ASEAN AMM Retreat in Boracay, the Philippines, to discuss the alleged involvement of an Indonesian and a Vietnamese citizen in the murder of Jong Nam in Malaysia.

Based on the Malaysian law, if the investigation process is still underway, no one apart from the investigators is granted permission to meet the arrested suspects. Speaking in connection with the matter, Marsudi reaffirmed Indonesia's request to Malaysia to grant consular access to the Indonesian citizen. She reminded that consular access should be granted based on the Vienna Convention.

Although the staffers of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the Indonesian lawyers have met the investigators and have obtained information that the Indonesian suspect is in good health, yet the consular access is still pending.

Marsudi pointed out that the granting of consular access could assist and facilitate communication between the investigators and the Indonesian suspect. The same request was also put forth by the Vietnamese foreign minister who stressed that granting consular access is the basic right of a foreigner being detained in another country.

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