KANGAR, Nov 11 — The wife of missing activist Amri Che Mat has questioned why the Home Ministry waited until now to reopen investigations into his disappearance, despite years of official findings pointing to police negligence.
Norhayati Mohd Ariffin said she was “confused and puzzled” by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution’s statement that the ministry would refocus efforts on the cases of Amri and Pastor Raymond Koh.
She said the move came too late, given that a Special Task Force report on both disappearances had already been completed and submitted to the ministry in 2020.
“Why does the minister need to wait until now to reopen investigations?” she asked, saying the report had clearly found that police acted negligently and allowed rogue officers to break the law without fear.
Her statement comes after the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s ruling on Nov 5, which held that the police were “negligent and deliberately careless” in investigating Amri’s abduction.
Norhayati said the decision was a long-awaited measure of justice, but her family’s pain continued as Amri’s fate and whereabouts remained unknown.
She added that the ministry’s renewed promise of transparency was difficult to believe after years of inaction and withheld reports.
“Has the minister even read the task force report?” she asked, recalling that in June 2023, Saifuddin had said he would bring the findings to higher authorities but no action followed.
The home minister recently told Parliament that investigations into the disappearances of Pastor Koh and Amri were still ongoing.
In his written reply, Saifuddin said police were continuing their efforts “transparently” and would not stop until justice was served for both victims and their families.
Pastor Raymond went missing on 13 February 2017 after leaving his home, while Amri, the founder of a Perlis-based NGO, disappeared on 24 November 2016 after driving out late at night.
In 2019, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) concluded that both men were victims of enforced disappearance carried out by Special Branch officers from Bukit Aman.
Norhayati said these findings, together with the Special Task Force’s conclusions, left no reason for further delays in holding the police accountable.
She urged the home minister to stop making public statements until concrete, transparent action was taken to uncover the truth and restore the integrity of the police force.
