Govt promises to give classified report to Pastor Koh's family by Sept 13

The government has promised to give a classified report on Pastor Raymond Koh’s enforced disappearance to his family by Sept 13.

Senior federal counsel Nurul Farhana Khalid told the civil court the government needed time to comply with its order.

On Aug 15, the Kuala Lumpur High Court gave the authorities three days to hand over the Special Task Force (STF) report to Koh’s wife, Susanna Liew.

Liew seeks the classified report to strengthen her suit to force the authorities to reveal the whereabouts of Koh (above), who disappeared on Feb 13, 2017.

The government today sought to stay the court order so they could undergo the lengthy process to declassify the report.

Nurul explained the process is required as the report is classified under the Official Secrets Act 1972.

The STF was established under the Home Ministry in 2020, and the report’s declassification requires the signature of its minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Liew’s counsel Jerald Gomez objected to the government’s stay bid.

However, he added that the family would not file any contempt action against the government if the report is disclosed by Sept 13.

Stay bid denied

Judge Su Tiang Joo denied the stay application, making no comment on the parties’ arrangement with each other over the disclosure of the report.

The trial resumes today.

In 2019, Suhakam concluded that Koh’s abduction was an enforced disappearance perpetrated by Bukit Aman’s Special Branch.

Liew, 67, subsequently launched the ongoing civil action for disclosure of the whereabouts of Koh, 68.

In the course of the suit, the STF was set up to compile the report.

However, the authorities classified it despite calls by human rights groups to reveal its contents to the public.

Previously, the authorities’ legal representatives from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) objected to the STF report disclosure on the grounds that it was an OSA document.

The AGC also contended that the STF findings are not binding on the civil suit.

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