Don’t be distracted from ‘real’ abductors, says Pastor Koh’s wife

PETALING JAYA: The family of abducted Pastor Koh Keng Joo has today urged the police not to be distracted from the "real" abductors following the arrest of a suspect on March 9.
There has been no significant breakthrough in efforts to find Koh who has been missing for a month, said Susanna Liew Sow Yoke, who is the wife of Koh.
Referring to the arrest of the suspect, Liew said her son, Jonathan, received a number of text messages on his mobile phone that seemed suspicious and extortionate.
"On Wednesday, March 8, Jonathan alerted the police to these messages, whose quick work on this led to the arrest," said Liew.
"While I am happy that the police acted swiftly on this matter, I hope that the arrest does not distract attention away from the real abductors and their accomplices or discourage genuine informers to reach out to us.
"Today marks one month since my husband was abducted. He remains missing, and we are still in the dark as to who abducted him, why they did it and where they have taken him."
Liew said the family's offer of a reward on Feb 20 of up to a maximum of RM100,000 for information leading to the safe recovery of the missing pastor still stands.
"There are no restrictions to the eligibility of the reward recipients," she said. "A panel will decide how the full reward will be divided according to the accuracy and usefulness of information provided.
"In the month since he was taken away from us, my children and I have swung between feelings of numbness, despair, hope, sadness, fear and anger. From this comes a frustration that there has been no significant breakthrough in efforts to find my husband."
The pastor was abducted around 10.30am on Feb 13 while he was driving alone in a silver 1990 model Honda Accord (with number plate: ST5515D) at Jalan SS4B/10 in Petaling Jaya, according to a statement issued by the family.
He was forced to a stop by unknown persons in three large SUVs, a fourth sedan and suspected accomplices on motorbikes. Both he and the car he was driving were removed from that location by these abductors in an efficient operation that took less than a minute to execute, it added.
"Since then, my husband and his car have not been seen and neither his abductors nor the cars they were driving have been spotted or found. We have received no demand for ransom or proof of life from these abductors," said Liew.
"On the other hand, the immense show of concern and solidarity that we have received from so many people and organisations have bolstered our hopes. We do not feel we are alone, thanks to the outpouring of support from Malaysians, and their prayers at the many peaceful candlelight vigils held in cities across the country.
"My husband's abduction is unprecedented in Malaysia, which has long stood as a global example of multiracial and interfaith harmony. This harmony is precious to all of us: it is the foundation on which we stand as a nation.
"For many Malaysians, the abduction of my husband, a man of faith who is known in the community for his charity work, is a blow to that harmony. As such, I urge all our leaders to do their best to address and allay this very real fear. It is not just my family who are traumatised by this, but many others who do not even know Raymond, yet feel concern and a deep sense of outrage at what happened to him."