THE Government does not have official data on the number of foreign spies operating in the country as they do no register themselves as such, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

In a written reply to Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin, Dr Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Home Minister, said authorities did not possess such details.

“The Home Ministry and the police do not have the information on the number of foreign spies as foreign countries do not declare their spies to the authorities here.

“However, the ministry will improve its efforts to get information on espionage in Malaysia to ensure incidents like that of Kim Jong-nam’s murder will not recur,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia has rejected a motion by DAP-Batu Gajah MP V. Sivakumar to debate on the ongoing North Korea d issue.

Sivakumar, who accepted the decision, hoped that the Government will make full use of all opportunities to resolve the matter diplomatically as soon as possible.

“This issue is serious and it has raised concern among Malaysians,” he said.

Bilateral ties between Kuala Lumpur and Pyongyang have soured since the murder of Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at the KLIA2 departure hall on Feb 13.