PUTRAJAYA should do more to find out what had happened to Pastor Raymond Koh and the three other missing activists to bring closure to their families, said the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM).

CFM chairman Archbishop Julian Leow Beng Kim said the truth finding should be a national undertaking and there must be accountability and justice to provide some relief to the families.

He said it is also crucial to prevent such acts from happening again as enforced disappearance is a violation of the human rights of those who go missing and of their families.

“Establishing the truth of what happened is important and not just to the Koh family but also for the families of activists Amri Che Mat, pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife Ruth Sitepu, who are still missing,” he said in a statement.

Leow said how the nation deals with the issue of missing persons will define us as a society.

“If the end of your story is not known and if everyone gives up trying to find out what happened to you, there is a sense that you did not matter.

“All of us wish to live in a society where everybody matters, like Koh and all others who are missing matters.”

February 13 will mark four years since the day that Koh was abducted by masked men in Jalan SS4B/10, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. 

The family members, together with their lawyers, will be holding a day of remembrance tomorrow for the pastor. 

Leow said even families who were separated by the Covid-19 pandemic have some measure of comfort in knowing where they are and the assurance that they are safe. 

He said this was not the case for Koh’s family, who have not seen him for four years.

“Koh’s family has resorted to various measures to obtain answers about the fate of their loved one, but with no success.”

He also questioned if any action was taken by the special task force set up by former Home Minster Muhyiddin Yassin in 2019 to investigate the disappearance of Koh and activist Amri Che Mat.

“For the next two weekends, we ask all churches to remember and pray for Koh, Amri, Joshua, Ruth and their families.

“May they know that we stand in solidarity with them on their continuous journey of uncertainty.”

International human rights laws define 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.

On April 2019, in the cases of Koh and Amri, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) panel was unanimous in finding that Special Branch personnel from the federal police headquarters had abducted the duo in commando-style operations.

Amri was abducted on November 24, 2016. It was revealed during the inquiry that he was, at the time, under police surveillance for alleged Shia activities.

Koh was snatched on February 13, 2017. A police report was lodged against him a few months later for allegedly proselytising youth.

After Suhakam made known its findings, Muhyiddin announced the setting up of a special task force to investigate Koh’s and Amri’s cases. – February 6, 2021.