4 March 2017
North Korean ambassador Kang Chol has been declared "persona non grata" in Malaysia and has been asked to leave the country within 48 hours.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said Kang Chol, who was summoned to Wisma Putra at 6pm today, failed to turn up at the ministry in Putrajaya.
"The Foreign Ministry has sent a diplomatic note to the embassy in Jalan Datai, Bukit Damansara to inform him of the decision.
"The Malaysian Government had demanded a written apology on Feb 28 from North Korea for accusations made by the ambassador over the murder of North Korean Kim Jong-Nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) on Feb 13.
"The DPRK delegation was informed that if no response is received by 10pm that day, the Malaysian government would take measures that would best protect its interests.
"Almost four days have passed since the deadline lapsed. No such apology has been made, neither has there been any indication that one is forthcoming. For this reason, the Ambassador has been declared Persona Non Grata," he said in a statement today.
Persona Non Grata literally means “Person Not Appreciated”. A person declared as such by the receiving State is barred from entering or remaining in the country.
Anifah further pointed out that according to the Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961), the receiving country may at any time and without having to explain its decision, declare ambassadors or heads of missions or any member of the diplomatic staff as Persona Non Grata.
"In such cases, the sending State shall recall the person or terminate his function with the embassy or mission. If the sending State refuses to do so, the receiving State may refuse to recognise the person concerned as a member of the embassy or mission.
"It should be made clear, Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation," he said.
Jong-Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, was killed on Feb 13 by two women using the highly toxic liquid nerve agent VX at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) departure hall. He was about to leave for Macau.
Original Source: thesundaily.my
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