Amri Che Mat’s wife has told home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to take immediate action to locate her husband and apprehend those responsible for his disappearance.
Saifuddin yesterday said his ministry is “working on” the High Court’s recent order for the police to reopen investigations into the disappearances of Amri and Pastor Raymond Koh.
Amri’s wife, Noorhayati Ariffin, pointed out that several investigations had concluded that police officers allegedly acted illegally in Amri’s disappearance. These include reports by the home ministry’s special task force, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), and a recent High Court decision.
“Why does the home minister need to wait until now to ‘reopen investigations’ into the cases of Amri and Koh?” said Noorhayati.
“According to the government’s own documents, the special task force established by the home ministry completed its report and submitted it to the minister as early as 2020. Has he not read it?
“The report, prepared by his own ministry, clearly stated that the actions of the police were grossly negligent and incompetent, allowing rogue officers to act unlawfully with impunity.”
She said media reports in June 2023 said Saifuddin intended to raise the issues highlighted in the special task force’s report with the “higher authority”.
Noorhayati also noted that a Suhakam inquiry in 2019 listed failures in the police’s investigation into Amri’s disappearance, citing negligence and abuse of power from Kangar to Bukit Aman.
“What else does the home minister need before fulfilling his duty and taking action?” said Noorhayati.
She also urged the government to be more transparent in the matter, noting that the special task force’s reports remained classified.
“What the families want is not just words. We want action taken against those responsible for abducting Amri and Koh, as well as those who obstructed investigations and protected the wrongdoers,” she said.
Amri, the founder of the NGO Perlis Hope, left his home at about 11.30pm on Nov 24, 2016. His car was found at a construction site at the Bukit Cabang Sports School in Perlis early the next morning.
Last week, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered the government and police to pay more than RM3 million to Amri’s family for failing to conduct proper investigations into his disappearance.
Koh was abducted on Feb 13, 2017, while driving along Jalan SS4B/10 in Petaling Jaya. During the trial, the court heard that five masked men in black military outfits pulled him out of his car.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court last week ordered the government and the police to pay Koh’s family RM37 million over the state’s involvement in his abduction.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Saifuddin was non-committal on when the police would reopen their investigations, saying he needed to first obtain a “complete explanation” on the special task force’s reports on the missing duo.
The special task force’s reports were prepared after separate Suhakam inquiries concluded that Koh and Amri were victims of enforced disappearances by the state.
