SUSANNA Liew, the wife of missing Pastor Raymond Koh, said today she cannot rule out the possibility that “people in power” are linked or know more than they are admitting to her husband’s disappearance.

“No, I cannot rule that out. Based on the way the authorities have behaved in the last 100 days, this is a possibility.

“This has been expressed by so many people in public and private,” she said at a press conference in Phileo Damansara, Petaling Jaya.

Today marks the 100th day that Koh had been abducted from his vehicle by unknown assailants.

Liew said she owed it to her husband to keep searching for answers and asking the difficult questions on his disappearance. 

“I will keep questioning, even if I risk the wrath of powerful men who may hit back at us instead of answering my questions. They have left me no choice.”

When asked who are the powerful men, Liew said she doesn’t know but added that the abduction was likely to be carried out by people with resources. 

“It’s because of the CCTV footage which shows the abduction looks like it was well funded. I asked a private investigator and he said that such an operation will cost around RM600,000. Who would have such resources?”

Liew said she is prepared to meet with National Unity and Integration Minister Joseph Kurup, who agreed to a meeting with her and the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) general-secretary Rev Dr Hermen Shastri.

“We are beginning to see that the response of the police is unconvincing. We want to ask Kurup, it has been 100 days and what the police have done so far. Where are the updates? 

“We also want him to raise the issue with Prime Minister Najib Razak,” she said. 

Liew is also concerned that the authorities are now going after three civil society activists for seeking answers to Koh’s disappearance. 

“They have put themselves at risk for speaking up for my husband and the three other activists who are missing. 

“I hope all Malaysians will stand up for these people.”

Present at the press conference today were Engage spokesman Thomas Fann, Suaram’s Sevan Doraisamy and several international media organisations.

Police have called up Fann, Sevan and Bersih’s Rama Ramanathan to explain statements they made linking the disappearance of Koh and three others to “enforced disappearances”.

In international human rights law, a forced disappearance or enforced disappearance occurs 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.

The three have been told to present themselves at the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman tomorrow.

They are part of the Citizen Action Group on Enforced Disappearance (Caged) formed earlier this month to find answers on the disappearance of the four activists.  They will be represented by lawyer cum human rights advocate Ambiga Sreenevasan, who is also a member of Caged.

Koh was abducted from his car in Petaling Jaya on February 13 by 15 men in three black SUVs. The kidnapping, which took place in broad daylight, appeared to have been well coordinated.

Joshua Hilmy, a pastor of Malay descent, and his wife Ruth, went missing on November 30 last year while Amir Che Mat went missing on the night of November 24 last year after he told his eldest daughter that he was going out. – May 23, 2017.