Two more people appointed to Pastor Koh, Amri task force

Koh (left) and Amri

PETALING JAYA: Two more people have been appointed to the task force investigating the enforced disappearances of Pastor Raymond Koh (pic, left) and activist Amri Che Mat (pic, right), says the Home Ministry.

The two new members are Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) assistant commissioner Azian Umar and senior lawyer Datuk Roger Tan.

The Ministry said that they had taken into account the public's opinion, with many saying the composition of the task force should be more balanced and impartial.

With these latest additions, there are now seven members in the taskforce, including the chairman, former High Court Judge Datuk Abd Rahim Uda.

The others in the taskforce are Datuk Zamri Yahya, who is Bukit Aman's Integrity and Standard Compliance department director; Enforcement Agencies Integrity Commission (SIAP) operations director Datuk Bukhari Ab Hamid; Mohd Sophian Zakaria of the Attorney General's Chambers; and Mohd Russaini Idrus, who is the under-secretary for the Police Commission.

The Ministry said that Zamri's presence in the taskforce would help it, as his department has the legal power to summon any police officers to give their statements.

"With the appointment of these two new members, it is hoped that the taskforce is able to carry out their duties in an efficient, trustworthy, and with integrity without raising any prejudice or doubt from any quarters," they said.

Datuk Mokhtar Mohd Noor, formerly the chief of the police’s legal unit, had voluntarily withdrawn from the taskforce, after several groups alleged that his presence was a conflict of interest.

The special task force was formed by the Cabinet last month, following Suhakam's verdict last April that Bukit Aman's Special Branch was likely behind the disappearances.

Amri, who is the co-founder of the non-governmental organisation Perlis Hope, went missing on Nov 24, 2016, after leaving his home in Kangar in an SUV at about 11.30pm.

Pastor Koh, who founded the NGO Harapan Komuniti, was believed to have been abducted in broad daylight by a group of men along Jalan SS4B/10 in Petaling Jaya on Feb 13, 2017, while on his way to a friend's house.