June 26, 2017

Statement by Susanna Liew Sow Yoke, wife of Pastor Raymond Koh 

I refer to several media reports yesterday quoting Malaysia’s Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar about developments in the abduction case of my husband Raymond Koh Keng Joo, who was abducted 134 days ago in Petaling Jaya on 13th February 2017. Tan Sri Khalid seems to have made this announcement while hosting a Hari Raya Open House at Bukit Aman Police Headquarters yesterday, 25th June. In his remarks, he referred to a police operation on 17th June in Kedah.

As with the previous announcements made by IGP Khalid to the media about my husband’s abduction on April 6th and May 24th, I have not been briefed about any of these so-called developments, leads or arrests by the police. Like the rest of Malaysia, all I know is what I have read in the media.

I hope that the police will contact me soon to arrange a meeting and to give me a proper update about my husband’s case. This update should also include a full explanation about the announcements they made on April 6th and May 24th. Past meetings that they had invited me to attend on March 6th and March 23rd were less about actual updates about the case and more about asking me to not engage with the media and to not attend public vigils and gatherings.

I also urge the police to cooperate with the investigation being conducted by SUHAKAM and to update them as well.

The above was re-issued to the media in a Note to Press following further remarks by IGP Khalid’s claims on July 25.

NOTE TO PRESS: 25 JULY 2017:

On behalf of Raymond Koh's family, I refer to the IGP's remarks as reported in the Star* this morning, July 25. In response, attached is the 26th June 2017 statement by Susanna Liew. The facts remain the same, unfortunately. There has been no effort on the part of the police to reach out to the family to arrange for a proper update. 

- For Susanna Liew, a spokesperson for the family.

* The link to the news article: http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/07/25/igp-pastor-koh-human-trafficking/

7. Press Release August 30, 2017: 200 Days After Abduction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“I do not know why you have chosen to treat us this way”

200 Days on, Abducted Pastor’s Wife Sends Open Letter to IGP Khalid

Petaling Jaya, Malaysia; 30 August 2017 – On 31 August, the family of Pastor Raymond Koh will mark 200 days since their husband and father was abducted on 13 February 2017 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

In an Open Letter addressed to Malaysia’s outgoing Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar (“IGP Khalid”), the missing pastor’s wife Susanna Liew (“Susanna”) referred to her family’s struggle to cope with Koh’s absence and not knowing his fate: “We are devastated. What makes it worse is the way you and the police under your command have treated us, Raymond’s family…while conducting investigations into his abduction.”

The Open Letter by Susanna, 61, listed down a series of public claims made by IGP Khalid since April 2017 about developments in the case, noting that “these public announcements have been vague, bordering on sensationalist, with inconsistencies that raise more questions than answers and doubts about the authorities’ commitment to properly investigate this case.”

She also referred to IGP Khalid’s advice to them to not speak about Raymond’s case to the media: “As such, I am bewildered as to why you have chosen to ignore your own advice.”

Her letter focused mainly on the latest narrative postulated by IGP Khalid that Koh’s abductors are linked to a human trafficking syndicate operating on the Malaysian-Thai border. On 25 June, at a Hari Raya function in Kuala Lumpur, IGP Khalid told the media that the police believed this after uncovering new leads after a shootout between the police and a suspected arms and drug smuggler in Kedah on 17 June.

Susanna noted that what was said by IGP Khalid about this shootout on 25 June did not match what was originally said by the Kedah police about the same incident during their press conference in Alor Setar on 18 June. On 25 June, IGP Khalid had claimed that the police found “various photos, including….the house of the pastor, and license plates bearing the number ST5515D”, referring to the car number plate of the Honda Accord Koh was driving when he was abducted on February 13.

There was no mention of these photos or the ST5515D number plate in the extensive list of evidence listed and displayed at the Kedah press conference on 18 June. There is also a discrepancy in the description of the suspect who was killed by the police in the 17 June shootout. While IGP Khalid claimed that the dead man was a “main player in an arms, drugs and human trafficking syndicate”, a week earlier, Kedah police chief Datuk Asri Yusoff had said that the police believed that this man was a smuggler of arms and drugs from Thailand working alone.

“I do not know why you and the police have chosen to treat us this way,” said Susanna, in expressing her disappointment to IGP Khalid. “You have ignored the basic obligation to update the family of an abduction victim in a professional and compassionate manner.”

She continued: “Why are you doing this? If this sensational story is based on a logical and credible line of enquiry with verifiable evidence, then why not update me accordingly? If there is no credible evidence, then why build this narrative in the full glare of media spotlight? Why is there a need for this?”

In closing, Susanna wished IGP Khalid a happy retirement and birthday on 5 September, while noting her own husband’s birthday on 2 November and expressing her hope that Koh would return in time to celebrate with his family.

She also hoped for better cooperation with IGP Khalid’s successor, noting that what is stake is Malaysia’s image as a nation committed to the rule of law: “It is imperative that all parties can work together to ensure that investigations are conducted in a transparent, impartial and accountable manner so that truth and justice prevail.”