KUALA LUMPUR: There could be an additional non-Malay member in the task force set up to investigate the disappearances of Pastor Raymond Koh and Perlis activist Amri Che Mat.
Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said this following the withdrawal of former Malaysian police legal unit chief Datuk Mokhtar Mohd Noor from the task force last week.
“That’s his (Mokhtar’s) decision. He informed me and the task force members before withdrawing from the team.
“So, after discussing at ministry level, we have identified a new candidate to replace Mokhtar and I think we may appoint an additional member who could be a non-Malay. I think these appointments will be more suitable for the task force,” Muhyiddin told reporters after attending a Hari Raya Open House at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol), here today.
Muhyiddin added that the meeting of the task force members could be held either tomorrow or the day after.
Koh was abducted from his car by a group of more than 10 men on Feb 13, 2017.
Amri, who was under investigation for allegedly spreading Syiah teachings, went missing in 2016 after he left his home in Kangar.
In April, a Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) inquiry concluded that both Koh and Amri were “victims of enforced disappearance”.
This led to the government setting up a six-member task force to follow up on the findings.
Mokhtar’s withdrawal follows a public outcry over the composition of the panel.
The ministry had noted that several civil society organisations had questioned his appointment, as he is alleged to have been involved in the Koh and Amri cases.
There have also been calls for task force members Datuk Zamri Yahya, who is Bukit Aman’s Integrity and Standard Compliance Department director, and Datuk Abd Rahim Uda, a retired High Court judge to withdraw, due to a conflict of interest.
