A TASK force is better to investigate the disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh and Perlis Hope founder Amri Che Mat as a royal commission of inquiry is redundant, said lawyers after Putrajaya stated its readiness to form an RCI.

They said nothing much has come out of previous RCIs, which lack power to take action.

Experienced criminal litigation lawyer Baljit Singh Sidhu said the government should set up a task force to look into the cases, as recommended by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), which had conducted an inquiry into the duo’s disappearance.

“A task force will have more bite. Nothing much was achieved with previous RCIs. They just make recommendations,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“The Suhakam inquiry was already like an RCI. Now, action must be taken to get to the bottom of what had happened to them (Koh and Amri).”

In its report released on Wednesday, Suhakam recommended, among others, the setting up of an independent task force to reinvestigate the men’s disappearance.

A task force would see law enforcement authorities with investigative powers call up witnesses, compare the statements recorded, search premises and make arrests if needed.

Suhakam said the appointed task force members must neither have current or prior involvement with criminal investigations in the two cases, nor should its members have any connection with the Special Branch units in Perlis and Bukit Aman, as well as Perlis and Selangor Islamic authorities.

Koh, according to a police report lodged against him months after he went missing, had allegedly proselytised to youth up north. Amri was reportedly under police surveillance over alleged Shia links.

On Thursday, Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said his ministry will consider setting up an RCI to investigate the disappearance of the two activists, following the Suhakam inquiry’s conclusion that Amri and Koh were taken by Bukit Aman’s Special Branch in November 2016 and February 2017, respectively.

Lawyer Syahredzan Johan agreed that an RCI is not needed, and that the government should follow Suhakam’s recommendations.

“There has already been an inquiry by Suhakam. It has announced its findings.

“An RCI is redundant in this situation. It would have the same powers as an inquiry, to call up people to take their statements. It has no power to make arrests.

“Set up a task force as recommended. The task force can investigate, and if needed, find criminal culpability.”

Lawyers for Liberty executive director Latheefa Koya said the immediate action should be to establish a task force.

“We can still have an RCI, but we want action now. So, the task force should be set up immediately.

“We can have both. An RCI has the power to make recommendations. It can go beyond this case and provide recommendations to avoid similar incidents from happening again.” – April 6, 2019.