SOME 30 people, including police, family members and friends, have been interviewed by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) in its probe into the disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh and three other activists.

Suhakam will also hold a public inquiry in October to establish if the authorities had taken adequate measures in the search for the missing four.

Suhakam commissioner Jerald Joseph said the investigations were ongoing and more interviews were scheduled.

“We started the investigations one month after we had received a memorandum from CAGED – a coalition of civil society groups formed in May.

“The commission is also investigating whether or not is it ‘enforced disappearance’, which involves state agencies or involuntary disappearance, which could be by criminals or religious groups not linked to the state,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Jerald said the commission was also looking into the police’s actions following the disappearances of Koh, Amri Che Mat, Pastor Joshua Hilmi and his wife, Ruth Hilmi.

Koh was abducted in Petaling Jaya on February 13 by 15 men in three black SUVs. The abduction, which took place during the day, appeared to be well coordinated.

Police said two weeks ago that Koh might have been abducted by a human-trafficking syndicate linked to groups in southern Thailand.

However, CAGED members have asked why a 62-year-old man would be abducted in a military-style operation and what use would he be for a human trafficking syndicate.

Suhakam’s public inquiry will be chaired by three commissioners. 

Jerald said the commission decided to conduct a public inquiry into the disappearance of the individuals at a meeting earlier this week.

“We will be inviting the Home Ministry, the authorities and lawyers from the families to hold a watching brief.                    

“One of the remits of the inquiry will be to check if adequate steps had been taken by the authorities and police on the matter.

“We were told that police are continuing the investigation, which is good, and we expect to get more details during the inquiry,” he said.

CAGED spokesman Thomas Fann told The Malaysian Insight they expected an update from the United Nations Working Group on Enforced Disappearances on the missing four next week.

“We submitted our report two months ago, and are awaiting a reply. We believe that Koh was victim of enforced disappearance, based on the information we have.

“We are not sure if the UN working group had contacted the Malaysian government on the matter, but we will be contacting them for an update,” he said. 

Fann said he gave a briefing on Koh’s disappearance to Malaysians in London when he was there for an event on July 16.

“Since I was visiting London, I thought why not have a forum on Koh. The talk was organised by activist and writer Mariam Mokhtar.”

Fann said they were looking forward to the public inquiry by Suhakam and working with Koh’s family to mark the 200 days since his disappearance.

A Koh family spokesman said the pastor’s wife, Susanna Liew, and their three children, along with their legal advisers, had met Suhakam officials to discuss the case and challenges the family had been facing in getting answers and updates from the police over the months since the abduction.

“On July 7, Susanna’s lawyers submitted an official complaint on her behalf to Suhakam, along with supporting reports and documents.

“Since then, the family, friends and colleagues have cooperated with the Suhakam investigation, including recording witness statements.

“Susanna is also urging the police to support and cooperate with Suhakam,” the spokesman said. – August 13, 2017.