Koh (left) and Amri
PETALING JAYA: A group of individual lawyers and Citizens Against Enforced Disappearances (Caged) say the government has one month to prioritise investigations into the disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh and activist Amri Che Mat or legal action would be taken.
Lawyer Andy Yong said they were demanding that the government set up a special task force to investigate the matter, and for family members of the missing persons to get firsthand information on what transpired, and possibly monetary compensation for the families.
Should these demands not be met, he said, the lawyers and the NGO would be filing a lawsuit against the government of the day under the Government Proceedings Act.
The respondents to the lawsuit, he said, would be the current administration, Home Ministry and the current Inspector-General of Police (IGP).
"We look at these cases very seriously because, ultimately, we want to put on record that this is a case of grave public interest and concern.
"It is erroneous that the government should take such a lackadaisical attitude.
"It is high time for the government to restore public confidence and for us to find out the truth," Yong said at an office in Damansara Intan on Saturday (April 6).
Should the government fail to respond, Yong said they would bring the government to court "to seek judicial redress on the basis of natural justice".
He said they would also be approaching family members of the missing persons to ask if they wanted to participate in this legal action.
Caged spokesman Rama Ramanathan said the enforced disappearances of the missing persons were an issue of "national importance".
He said there was no questioning the credentials of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) panelists who issued the findings that were strikingly clear.
"We have two reports by Suhakam by a very distinguished panel that says it is the police.
"What possible benefit do they have for producing what is allegedly a report based on hearsay?" he said.
Rama said according to Suhakam, the burden of proof lay with the police to show that they were not responsible.
The panel of inquiry consists of commissioners Datuk Mah Weng Kwai as chairman, Prof Datuk Dr Aishah Bidin and Dr Nik Salida Suhaila Nik Saleh.
The Suhakam public inquiry revealed on Wednesday (April 3) that there was direct and circumstantial evidence which proved, on balance of probabilities, that Koh and Amri were abducted by the Special Branch of Bukit Aman.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said an investigation into Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun would be conducted once he retired as IGP on May 4.
Mohamad Fuzi was the Special Branch head at the time the two men went missing.
Koh went missing in 2017 after he was abducted by a group of men in a "professional" style in Petaling Jaya.
Amri, who was investigated for allegedly spreading Syiah teachings, went missing in 2016 after he left his home in Kangar.
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