PUTRAJAYA must release the findings of the task force that was set up to investigate the disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh and Perlis activist Amri Che Mat, said a civil society group. 

Citizens Action Group on Enforced Disappearance (Caged) said the authorities must publicly commit to right the wrongs in their search for the missing duo.

“What actions have been taken by the government and police in response to the findings of the task force?

“Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and the cabinet must make public the report of the task force,” the group said in a statement.

Caged said that it has been two years since the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) concluded that the Bukit Aman Special Branch had a role in the disappearance of Amri and Koh.

It said Suhakam commissioners Aishah Bidin, Nik Salida Suhaila and Mah Weng Kwai did not make that unanimous conclusion lightly.

“They made that conclusion after an exhausting 18-month inquiry.

“They made that conclusion knowing their professional reputations, and indeed the reputation of the Yang di-Pertuan Agung who appointed them, would be tarnished if they did slipshod work.”

Caged said that Suhakam also made the conclusion believing the top police leadership and the government needed to know the truth about what the Special Branch did, and that they would act to restore the reputation of the police force. 

“When will the police and the cabinet act to restore the reputation of the police, which has been so battered by Suhakam’s findings?”

At the time, the home minister was Muhyiddin and then prime minister was Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who both promised to act on Suhakam’s conclusions. 

Caged said that Muhyiddin had formed the task force in 2019 to look into Suhakam’s findings.

“Not what Suhakam recommended, which was to pursue angles the police had failed to pursue.

“The seven members of the task force included multiple persons who had conflicts of interest. Also, it was gender-biased, race-biased and religion-biased.”

Caged said the terms of reference of the task force were veiled in secrecy, except for one thing, that it would look only into the case of Amri and not Koh.

“Why? Because someone ‘had been charged’ for Koh’s abduction. But, now that someone has been discharged from court proceedings.”

Caged also said that the task force, chaired by former High Court judge Rahim Uda, had issued no statements.

“Based on one news report, we think it completed its work and submitted its report to Muhyiddin in January 2020.”

Caged also questioned the police force when Inspector-General of Police Hamid Bador said there was a “cartel” that was up to mischief in the police force.

“Is the same cartel responsible for enforced disappearances in Malaysia?

‘“The public must be given substantive reasons to believe that others are not also being to disappear by the Special Branch.

“Release the findings of the task force and publicly commit to right the wrongs.”

Koh was abducted by masked men in Jalan SS4B/10, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, on February 13, 2017. Amri disappeared on November 24, 2016 after leaving his home in Kangar, Perlis.

A public inquiry conducted by Suhakam concluded that the duo were abducted by the Special Branch from the federal police headquarters.

The home ministry then set up a special task force to investigate Koh and Amri’s disappearance. It was given six months, beginning June 2019, to do the job and report its findings.  – April 2, 2021.