Malaysia: Family of abducted Christian pastor, Raymond Koh call for an investigation, a task force
The family of abducted pastor Raymond Koh and a Christian group joined forces together on April 20 to urge Kuala Lumpur to act on the recommendations of an inquiry held by the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam).
Raymond Koh
At a press conference organized by the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), Koh’s daughter, Esther Koh, expressed her wish that the government will soon set up a task force to investigate those who had allegedly abducted Koh and human rights activist Amri Che Mat.
“We would like a categorical assurance from the government that these crimes will never be carried out again in our country,” she said. “[My father] was simply abducted by the police, the very people entrusted to protect us,” she lamented.
Koh’s wife, Susanna Liew, also handed over a memorandum to CFM, urging them to persuade the government to consider and act on the recommendations of Suhakam, including the formation of a special task force to re-investigate Koh’s disappearance, the separation of powers between the police and religious authorities, and reforms to the police’s standard operating procedures.
CFM said it will explore “every avenue” available to bring the plight of the families of Koh and Amri to the government, Parliament and Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. CFM chairman Archbishop Julian Leow Beng Kim stated they had already engaged in discussions with some Cabinet members.
“After this, CFM will be writing to the prime minister to secure an appointment to see the families of these ‘enforced disappearances’,” Kim added.
Pastor Koh was abducted by a group of men, in broad daylight, on his way to a friend’s house in Petaling Jaya on February 13, 2017. His whereabouts remain unknown.
Full report HERE
