Authorities shrug off dubious factors in SJM staff’s death in Pyongyang

People gather in Pyongyang at a monument built 10 years ago to honor the founding of the Workers’ Party of North Korea

The secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, revealed yesterday that information that is currently in the hands of authorities dismisses all individuals suspected of involvement in the death of a local who was working in Casino Pyongyang, North Korea, in which the tycoon Stanley Ho is of interest
Lei Weng Fu’s abrupt “suicide” came as a devastating blow to his family, and they continue to be skeptical about the official explanations. To the family, the twists and turns during the 29-year-old SJM staff member’s stay in the reclusive country have rendered the suicide claim unconvincing.
Nonetheless, around four months after Pyongyang confirmed the death, citing the presence of internal physical injuries, the appeal for the “possible truth” behind the death by the deceased’s family remains unanswered.
Wong Sio Chak told media on the sidelines of a site visit that the “information received  “so far was yet to paint a wider picture for the authorities regarding the incident”, also conceding that it was “difficult to follow on the investigation.”
“We’re still awaiting more news from there,” he claimed. “However, the information we received suggests nothing suspicious.”
Asked if the authorities would urge  closer communication with Pyongyang’s investigators over the inquiry, he said: “We’d try our best to do it.”
It was said that International Criminal Police Organization, consuls on both sides, and local investigative agents have been conducting a probe into the death. Prior to his death, he was accused of committing a theft in Casino Pyongyang and was diagnosed with psychosis.
Earlier, the mother of the deceased told newspaper Hoje Macau that the family received a strange WeChat message from Lei Weng Fu on May 31, stating that he was being threatened due to financial problems, and that one of the shareholders of the North Korean casino threatened to block his bank accounts in Macau.
The following day, Lei Weng Fu contacted the family again, informing them that he had been fired after having been accused of stealing casino chips, something that the family believes “he would never do.”
Five days of silence followed, during which time Lei Weng Fu did not reply to the messages sent by his parents. On June 5, his parents allegedly received a call from their son’s manager in Macau informing them that Lei Weng Fu would soon arrive at the local airport. Hours later, they received news from SJM that he had committed suicide in North Korea. According to a death certificate issued by a Pyongyang hospital, he died on June 5 after being found with multiple bone fractures.  AU