I want the truth behind Pastor Koh’s enforced disappearance: Wife

“All I want is justice. I want to know the truth on where my husband is and what happened to him.”

These were the heartfelt words expressed by a sobbing Susanna Liew over Pastor Raymond Koh, who disappeared on Feb 13, 2017, while she was on the witness stand at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today.

While tearfully testifying in her lawsuit to compel the police and government to reveal Koh’s whereabouts, Liew said she wanted to see the perpetrators brought to justice.

Her lawsuit relies on the 2019 Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) finding that Koh was the victim of enforced disappearance carried out by Special Branch operatives from federal police headquarters.

“It is really sad and really disappointing that these seven years have been a long time, and yet they (authorities) are not forthcoming with their investigation, but they try to cover up in so many ways.

“They made my life difficult by interrogating me many times when I was already traumatised. So I get panic attacks and I still do, and my children also suffered as they have depression and need to go for counselling.

“This is why I took up this case to seek the truth and hope some justice will prevail, and that our family will get the justice that we deserve as citizens of Malaysia,” Liew sobbed as judicial commissioner Su Tiang Joo presided over the civil case trial.

While under examination-in-chief by her counsel Jerald Gomez, she lamented on how she and her family suffered from anguish and sorrow on not knowing Koh's fate.

Liew reflected on how their right to live a peaceful, happy, and comfortable life enshrined under the Federal Constitution has been violated, with the shattering of their faith in the police to safeguard against violation of these fundamental liberties.

"Therefore, we cannot have closure to the grieving process and to bury the body if he is no longer alive.

"The government and the police have an obligation to investigate in good faith with due diligence any enforced disappearance, and the intention of the investigation must be to discover the truth and not to allege internal obstacles such as the Official Secrets Act, the lack of infrastructure or staff, in order to escape their obligation to investigate," said the 67-year-old while wiping her eyes with tissue.

The trial before Su resumed this afternoon.

Liew launched the civil action, following Suhakam’s finding on April 3, 2019, that the abduction of Koh, 68, was an enforced disappearance that involved the Special Branch from Bukit Aman.

Wrongly mailed

During cross-examination by senior federal counsel Nurul Farhana Khalid, Liew disagreed with the contention that a death threat package was wrongly mailed to her and Koh's house 12 years ago.

Liew also disagreed with a contention by Nurul Farhana, who acted for the police and government, that Koh's disappearance on Feb 13, 2017, had nothing to do with a Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) raid on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) on Aug 3, 2011.

Nurul Farhana was grilling Liew over the witness' previous testimony that Koh received two live bullets and a death threat in a package a short while after the DUMC incident.

Nurul Farhana: You agree it (note inside the package) did not mention the name of Raymond Koh?

Liew: His name was not mentioned, but it (the package) was sent to our house.

Hearing before Su resumed this afternoon.

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