A GROUP of 50 civil society organisations want Putrajaya to set up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission immediately.

“The government needs to speed up the process of setting up IPCMC in light of Suhakam’s recent findings that the police may be involved in the disappearance of pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat,” said the group’s spokesman M. Ramanathan at a media conference at Parliament today.

The group handed over a memorandum calling for the setting up of IPCMC quickly.

Ramanathan, who is from CAGED, said the IPCMC is also one of Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto promises. 

Aside from the disappearances, Ramanathan said there were 257 deaths in custody between 2002 and 2016.

“Many of the cases weren’t even reported. On top of that, there are also allegations of mistreatment while in custody.”

The IPCMC is needed to ensure that these cases could be investigated, he said.

The formation of the IPCMC was recommended in 2005 by a royal commission of inquiry to look into police misconduct.

It was formed in 2004 following a spate of custodial deaths and abuse in police detention. The 16-member inquiry was led by former chief justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah.

Forming IPCMC was among the 125 recommendations of the Dzaiddin commission but to date, it has not taken off.

The memorandum, which was handed over to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Liew Vui Keong’s aide, had the support of 50 groups.

Also at the press conference were PH lawmakers Kasthuri Patto (Batu Kawan), Maria Chin Abdullah (Petaling Jaya), Chang Lih Kang (Tg Malim), Pang Hock Liang (Labis) and Deputy Rural Development Minister R. Sivarasa.

EDICT, Suaram, Ikram and five relatives of detainees who died during police custody were also present.

After several months of inquiry, Suhakam found that the police were responsible for the disappearances of Amri and Koh.

Suhakam commissioner Mah Weng Kwai said state agents were involved when he announced the results of its investigation.

The inquiry panel was unanimous in its findings, he said.

An inquiry was established last year to ascertain if Koh, Amri and two others – pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife, Ruth – were victims of enforced disappearance.

International human rights law defines forced disappearance or enforced disappearance as when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organisation, or by a third party with the authorisation, support or acquiescence of a state or political organisation. – April 8, 2019.