Vietnam urges Malaysia to release female suspect in DPRK man's murder case

HANOI, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has had a telephone conversation with his Malaysian counterpart regarding the trial of Vietnamese woman Doan Thi Huong involved in the murder of a Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) man, asking Malaysia to set her free, local media reported on Wednesday.

During the conversation with Malaysian foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah on Tuesday, Minh said the high-ranking leadership of Vietnam and the Vietnamese public are paying great attention to every development in the case, and asked Malaysian courts to "ensure a fair trial and release Doan Thi Huong," daily newspaper Vietnam News reported.

Huong, 30, was accused of smearing the DPRK man, with a nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13, 2017, resulting in his death.

Her Indonesian co-defendant, Siti Aisyah, was released on Monday after two years in custody.