Defense lawyers for a Vietnamese woman accused of killing half-brother of DPRK leader Kim Jong Un have failed to get her murder charge dropped. On Monday, Malaysian prosecutors announced they were dropping charges against another woman, the Indonesian citizen, Siti Aisyah. They were both accused smearing the deadly nerve agent VX on Kim's face at Kuala Lumpur's international airport. Rian Maelzer was at the suburban Kuala Lumpur courthouse.

Doan Thi Huong arrived praying that, like Siti Aisyah on Monday, she would leave the courthouse a free woman.

Her defence team, backed by the Vietnamese government, had petitioned the attorney general to drop the charge against her for the murder of Kim Jong Nam, just as he had done for Siti Aisyah after concerted pressure from the Indonesian government.

But the attorney general rejected the request to defence's evident outrage.

HISYAM TEH POH TEIK DOAN THI HUONG DEFENCE LAWYER "She is completely innocent. She's a scapegoat. Her case is the same as Siti Aisyah's. There are no differences, similarities all along. We ran the same defence that they had no knowledge or intention to kill. They are scapegoats. So if Siti Aisyah could be released why not Doan?"

Doan was supposed to begin testifying in her own defence Thursday.

RIAN MAELZER SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA "Doan told the court she was feeling stressed and didn't know what was going on. And after proceedings ended, and the Vietnamese ambassador clasped her hands, she began weeping."

HISYAM TEY POH TEIK DOAN THI HUONG DEFENCE LAWYER "We saw the condition of Doan. Terribly upset, depressed. She didn't sleep well for the last three nights, she slept only about one hour per night. And she was not herself. So under such circumstances, one of our grounds for asking for an adjournment she's not prepared mentally and physically to testify. Her condition is quite bad."

The prosecution and judge agreed with the trial adjourned till April 1.

Doan's lawyers stressed that while she's distraught at still being on trial, she is very happy that her former co-accused Siti Aisyah has been freed.

The defence say they and senior Vietnam government officials will continue to petition the attorney general to drop the charges before the trial resumes next month. Rian Maelzer, CGTN, Shah Alam, Malaysia.