AN uphill task awaits the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), whose public inquiry into the disappearance of pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife, Ruth, begins today.

Little is known about the couple, who reportedly went missing from Petaling Jaya in 2016.

So far, police and other authorities have failed to unearth new clues on their whereabouts.

The only information police have is a missing person’s report lodged in 2017 by Joshua’s close friend, Peter Pormannan, who has known the couple since 2012.

Last month, Peter told The Malaysian Insight that he had reservations about the public inquiry as too much time has passed.

The Suhakam panel will be chaired by commissioner Hishamuddin Yunus, assisted by commissioners Jerald Joseph and Madeline Berma.

Peter said with no leads or witnesses in the case, the panel faces a difficult job.

Joshua, a Malay-Muslim who converted to Christianity, and Ruth, whose maiden name is Sitepu, were last seen on November 30, 2016.

A police report was lodged by Ruth’s brother, Iman Setiawan Sitepu, and sister, Ram Ram Elisabeth, in 2018.

Ruth’s family lived in the fishing village of Nambiki in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. While the family were made aware of her disappearance in March 2017, they could not come to Malaysia because of financial constraints.

They last spoke to her in November 2016.

This will be the third inquiry conducted by Suhakam into missing persons, following those into pastor Raymond Koh and Perlis Hope founder Amri Che Mat in 2018.

The inquiries last year concluded that they were cases of “enforced disappearance”, with the panel unanimously finding that Special Branch personnel from the federal police headquarters had abducted the duo in commando-style operations.

Amri was taken on November 24, 2016. During the inquiry, it was revealed that he was, at the time of his abduction, under police surveillance over his purported involvement in Shia activities.

Koh was snatched on February 13, 2017. A police report was lodged against him months later for allegedly proselytising to Muslim youth. – February 18, 2020