PRIME Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad must step in and “demand answers” from the Special Branch after it was implicated in the disappearance of civilians, said Suaram adviser Kua Kia Soong.

“In principle, the Special Branch is answerable to the inspector-general of police, the home minister and the prime minister,” Kua told The Malaysian Insight.

“In the very serious allegations by Suhakam, the PM himself should step in to demand answers from the SB but he has instead, tried to fob it off by questioning Suhakam’s ‘lack of evidence’, saying it is based on hearsay.

“So the problem is the PM refusing to treat this matter with the urgency it deserves.”

Kua said Suaram continues to maintain its call to reform policies, such as ending detention without trial and torture.

The Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), which conducted a public inquiry into the disappearances of Pastor Raymond Koh and Perlis Hope founder Amri Che Mat, last week concluded that it was the Special Branch that had abducted the two activists.

Suhakam commissioner Mah Weng Kwai said the two men were snatched by Special Branch teams from federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman and were never found again.

Mah also told The Malaysian Insight that police tried to stop the inquiry into Koh’s disappearance.

They did not produce important witnesses, refused to provide exhibits which were not classified and several police officers who testified were not “free flowing” in their testimonies, Mah had said.

Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun, who is due to retire next month, was Bukit Aman Special Branch director when Amri disappeared in November 2016, and Koh in February 2017.

Dr Mahathir had said last week that Fuzi’s successor should investigate the (Suhakam) finding that the police’s Special Branch was behind the disappearances. – April 8, 2019.