13/04/2026

MONDAY | APR 13, 2026

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M’sian Bar calls for answers on enforced disappearance cases

‘Need for proactive SOP after drowning tragedy’

Ű BY THESUN TEAM newsdesk@thesundaily.com

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar hopes that the families of Raymond Koh, Amri Che Mat, Joshua Hilmy and Ruth Sitepu will immediately obtain the answers that they have been waiting for a long time from authorities. Malaysian Bar president Anand Raj said the agony of not knowing is an unwarranted and inhumane punishment inflicted upon the families. He said the Bar unanimously adopted the “Resolution to Condemn Enforced Disappearances and to Urge Legal Reforms to Prevent and o Govt urged to probe incidents transparently, effectively and deliver long-awaited information and closure for families: President Ű BY ANDREW SAGAYAM newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Koh was a Christian pastor and the head of a humanitarian NGO which focused on helping people with HIV/AIDs, substance abuse disorder, single mothers and children. Amri, a social activist from Perlis, who founded the Hope Community organisation with Koh, was abducted in 2016. In November last year, High Court judge Datuk Su Tiang Joo ordered the government to pay RM10,000 per day to Koh’s family, begining from the date of his disappearance on Feb 13, 2017, until he is found. The judge also ordered RM4 million in general damages and RM250,000 in legal costs to Koh’s family. All add up with the daily sum to date to about RM37 million. Su further ordered the government to pay over RM3 million to Amri’s family for failing to conduct proper investigations into his disappearance. Meanwhile, a 2022 Suhakam public inquiry concluded that Joshua and his Indonesian wife Ruth were victims of an enforced disappearance. On March 6, 2017, Joshua and Ruth’s landlord filed a formal missing persons report after the couple went missing on Nov 30, 2016.

withdrawing their appeal against releasing a classified report on his 2017 abduction. “We urge the government to immediately accede and unreservedly become a state party to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.” He also requested for the enactment of laws to expressly and adequately criminalise enforced disappearances in accordance with international standards. “This is to ensure that all allegations of enforced disappearances are promptly, impartially, independently and effectively investigated; and that those responsible, regardless of rank or position, are prosecuted and punished in accordance with the law,” he said. Anand also noted it has been seven years since the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) issued its final decision on the public inquiry into the disappearance of Koh. “Suhakam in its findings revealed that Koh’s case was due to enforced disappearance by ‘state actors’,” he added. In February 2017, Koh was abducted from his vehicle by 15 men in tactical gear in Petaling Jaya.

Address Enforced Disappearance in Malaysia” at the Bar’s 80th Annual General Meeting here last month. “The enforced disappearances of Koh, Amri, Joshua and Ruth violate practically every article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “The Bar condems the enforced disappearances as a grave violation of fundamental human rights that causes lasting and unjust harm to victims and their families. “We urge the government of Malaysia to take immediate and concrete steps to fully, transparently and effectively investigate the enforced disappearances of the four individuals and disclose the truth regarding their fate and whereabouts. “This is to ensure accountability of all those responsible, and to provide their families with access to truth, justice and effective remedies,” he said in a statement. Anand said the Bar also notes that the government has withdrawn its appeal against the High Court’s ruling granting the family of Koh access to the Cabinet Special Task Force Report on his enforced disappearance. “The Court of Appeal has ordered the Malaysian government to pay in costs to Koh’s family after

KUALA LUMPUR: A prominent safety advocate has called on educational institutions to move beyond reactive safety reviews following the drowning deaths of two trainee teachers during an off-campus programme at Pantai Merdeka in Kedah. Alliance for a Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye welcomed the Education Ministry’s decision to review standard operating procedures (SOP) for outdoor activities but questioned why such reviews consistently follow tragedy rather than precede it. “Safety reviews must not be reactive. They must be proactive, preventive and continuous,“ he said in a statement, describing the loss of the two trainee teachers from the Teacher Training Institute Perlis campus as deeply tragic. Lee stressed that educational institutions carry an unambiguous duty of care toward students, trainee teachers and staff whenever activities take them beyond the classroom, particularly into higher-risk environments such as beaches, rivers, waterfalls and hiking trails. He outlined nine measures that should be made mandatory for all outdoor programmes, including comprehensive risk assessments prior to approval, activity-specific SOP, mandatory safety briefings, adequate ratios of trained supervisors, certified lifeguards for water-based activities, weather and tide monitoring, documented emergency response plans, proper safety equipment and a formal multi-level approval process. “SOP must be established before activities take place – not drafted in response to tragedy,“ he said, adding that a genuine preventive safety culture must be embedded across all educational institutions. Lee urged that the Pantai Merdeka incident serve as a permanent turning point rather than another forgotten lesson. “No programme is worth risking lives. Safety must always come first – because when it comes to safety, prevention is not just better than cure. It saves lives.”

PERILOUS PERCH ... A sun bear cub clings to a coconut tree in Kampung Bariawa Laut before being rescued by Keningau Fire and Rescue personnel. The animal was later handed to the Sabah Wildlife Department. – PIC COURTESY OF KENINGAU FIRE AND RESCUE DEPARTMENT SABAH FACEBOOK PAGE

600 detained, RM4.6m goods seized in maritime crackdown PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian

on criminal activities at sea. Op Khas Pagar Laut was implemented comprehensively, involving the mobilisation of sea and air assets, as well as targeted enforcement in hotspot areas, to combat criminal activities such as the smuggling of illegal immigrants, controlled goods and contraband, particularly ahead of the festive season. – Bernama

Rosli said Sabah and Labuan MMEA recorded the highest number of cases at 37, followed by Johor with 33 and Kedah and Perlis with 24 each. In addition to operations, he said the department had intensified community awareness programmes such as the Sahabat Maritim Programme to enhance public cooperation in sharing information

39 cases under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 and 23 under the Immigration Act 1959/63. “This operational approach is further strengthened through aerial monitoring using MMEA aircraft and the Sea Surveillance System in Lumut and Kota Kinabalu, to ensure early detection of any suspicious movements,” he said in a statement yesterday.

curbing maritime cross-border crime. Of those arrested, he said Indonesians topped the list with 210 individuals, followed by 84 from Myanmar, indicating that the nation’s sea routes continue to be a key target for illegal entry. Rosli said the highest number of cases involved offences under the Fisheries Act 1985 at 68, followed by

Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) arrested 617 individuals and seized goods valued at RM4.6 million during Op Khas Pagar Laut 1/2026 conducted from Feb 27 to April 10. Its director-general Admiral Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah said during the period, a total of 142 arrests were recorded, reflecting the agency’s continued commitment to