2nd LD Writethru: 2 female suspects charged with murder of DPRK man in Malaysia

Two female suspects, one from Indonesia and the other a Vietnamese, were charged on Wednesday with the murder of a man from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said a local court in Malaysia.

Siti Aisyah, the Indonesian girl, and Doan Thi Huong, the Vietnamese, were charged with intentional killing Kim Chol at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13, said the indictment statement.

The two have committed an offense punishable under Section 302 and Section 34 of the Penal Code. Section 302 revolves around murder charges while Section 34 means that a collective criminal act will be liable for an act done by him or her alone.

If convicted, the death penalty will be applied, said the statement.

According to the police, the two suspects swabbed a lethal liquid, classified as the chemical weapon VX nerve agent, on the face of Kim Chol in the attack, prompting him to seek help from airport medical staff. Later he died en route to the hospital.

The two suspects said they were duped into shooting a reality TV show, a claim rejected by the police.

Gooi Soon Seng, the lawyer representing Siti Aisyah, told reporters after the session that he had made an application to impose a gag order on the police and key witnesses to ensure that his client may get a fair trial. The judge has granted the application. No plea was entered during the process, said Gooi.

Selvam Shanmugam, Doan's lawyer, said Doan was "perfectly alright and calm, but definitely nervous as she was facing the death penalty." The lawyer also believed his client's innocence, saying that Doan insisted on the "shooting prank" wording.

As the two suspects were charged with the same offense, Shanmugam said he would apply for a joint trail and might work together with the Indonesian suspect's lawyer.

According to the two lawyers, the next hearing might be on April 13 and in the high court in Shah Alam. Endit