FIVE years after the disappearance of Amri Che Mat, the lives of his loved ones remain upended.

His wife, Norhayati Ariffin told The Malaysian Insight that the family have had to live with talk that Amri was a follower of Shia Islam.

Today marks the fifth year of Amri’s disappearance. He went missing on November 24, 2016, after leaving his home in Kangar, Perlis.

“This is a heavy burden to bear,” Norhayati said.

“Only the families of victims of enforced disappearance know the pain and agony we go through.

“My children and I will keep being strong and patient.”

Amri and Norhayati have four children aged 14, 19, 21 and 23.

Norhayati, who is a secondary school teacher, said all she wants is for those who are responsible for the disappearance of her husband to be brought to task.

“I want whoever is responsible to face the punishment that befits the crime that they have committed.”

Amri was said to be a Shia Muslim and a social activist with non-profit group Perlis Hope.

Norhayati, however, denied this during a public inquiry into her husband’s case conducted by the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam).

Another high-profile disappearance often associated with Amri’s is that of Pastor Raymond Koh, who was snatched by masked men in broad daylight while driving on Jalan SS4B/10 in Petaling Jaya, on February 13, 2017.

A Suhakam inquiry into the disappearance of the two activists concluded it was highly likely they were victims of enforced disappearance and abducted by the police Special Branch.

Enforced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organisation or by a third party with the state’s authorisation, support or acquiescence, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the person’s fate and whereabouts, with the intent of placing the victim outside the protection of the law.

In 2019, then home minister Muhyiddin Yassin ordered a special task force to look into Suhakam’s findings. The task force was given six months, beginning June the same year, to do the job.  

Norhayati said she has not received a single update on the investigations from either the police, the task force or the government.

“There has been no update at all. Suhakam’s public enquiry found that he was abducted by state agents, namely the Special Branch,  but the task force has remained silent and has refused to release their findings.”

Norhayati said the family had been unhappy with the way the investigations had progressed from the very start.

“We are very unhappy, Even from the start, there has been a lot of lies and confusion in the investigation.”

Yesterday, Citizens Against Enforced Disappearances (CAGED) urged the government to release the report by the task force.

It also asked for an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission to restore public faith in law enforcement.

The group noted that Amri’s disappearance had many striking similarities with Koh’s.

In Amri’s case, police had tried to conceal the identity of the owner of a gold Toyota Vios car which was parked outside Amri’s house in the three days before his abduction.

It was revealed later that the vehicle owner was Saiful Bahari Abdul Aziz who had worked for the police. Police claimed he “failed to show up for work” soon after Suhakam began investigating the case.

CAGED also recounted how police could not give a straight answer on Saiful’s position in the police force.

The investigating officer had told the Suhakam inquiry that Saiful was an administrative assistant while another officer in the Special Branch said Saiful was a low-level general handyman.

Saiful had since disappeared and police said they were unable to find him, CAGED said. – November 24, 2021.