Missing Ruth's kin told not to report disappearance to embassy

SUHAKAM INQUIRY | The police had urged the younger sister of Ruth Hilmy not to report the latter's disappearance to the Indonesian embassy.

Testifying at a public inquiry on Ruth and Joshua Hilmy's disappearance, Indonesian national Ram Ram Elisabeth Sitepu, 48, said this was communicated by a lawyer hired by her family.

"Our lawyer was told by the Malaysian police that we should not go to the embassy and let them (the police) resolve the matter.

"After three years, he heard nothing," said Ram Ram.

Ram Ram testified that she and her younger brother Iman Sitepu had arrived in Malaysia on Feb 28, 2018 to report Ruth and Joshua's disappearance.

They were accompanied by someone known as Addy.

Ram Ram also testified that she visited Ruth's home at Kampung Tunku, Petaling Jaya and realised that the fridge was well stocked.

She believed that her sister and husband were made to disappear by force. Had Ruth and Joshua decided to vacate the home voluntarily, said Ram Ram, they would have notified their family.

"We always talk on the phone. If she had moved, she would have told us. It has been three years since we spoke," she said.

Ram Ram said she was disappointed because the Malaysian authorities had not given her family any updates on the investigation.

"Ruth is a human being. She has a family in Indonesia that misses her. If Ruth did something, punish her according to the law," said Ram Ram while crying.

Ram Ram is the sixth witness who was called to testify before a Human Rights Commission public hearing on the Joshua and Ruth's disappearance.

Joshua and Ruth were last seen on Nov 30, 2016 and reported missing on March 6, 2017.

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