WHILE the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) welcomes the move to set up a Royal Commison of Inquiry (RCI) to look into the police’s role in the disappearance of two activists, it is more crucial to start a task force, said Mah Weng Kwai.

The Suhakam commissioner said it was pertinent the task force be established to investigate the disappearances of Pastor Raymond Koh and Perlis activist Amri Che Mat. 

“The (police) investigations in both cases were lackadaisical and not thorough enough. 

“The RCI and Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) can be dealt with a little later,” he said at the Suhakam headquarters today. 

Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had earlier today said the government was ready to form an RCI to look into the police’s role in the disappearances more than three years ago. 

He said his ministry needed to study Suhakam’s report that pointed to Special Branch teams from the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman being behind the snatching of the two activists.

Mah said that a lot more work needed to be done on the cases and many more witnesses to talk to. 

“More investigations need to be done; that’s why the task force is crucial.”

On the Joshua and Ruth Hilmy inquiry, Mah said Suhakam will set the dates once a new panel of commissioners are selected. 

However, he did not give a time frame for the inquiry. 

Ruth is the wife of Joshua, a Muslim convert, whose disappearance in 2016 is now the subject of a Suhakam inquiry.

Very little is known about the couple, both aged 49, until a police report was lodged by Ruth’s brother, Iman Setiawan Sitepu, 37, and sister, Ram Ram Elisabeth, 42, in March last year. – April 4, 2019.