KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) today called on the government to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances (ICPPED) to ensure that necessary legal protections are in place in the country.
Suhakam, in a statement issued in conjunction with the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, observed on Aug 30, said in order for enforced disappearances to be addressed more effectively, their existence must first be acknowledged.
“Presently, there are no laws or regulations in Malaysia relating to enforced disappearances and there are no provisions in place to address the situations in which enforced disappearances involve the government or its agencies,” the commission said, adding that prosecution of such cases were often classified as missing person or kidnap cases and such, and therefore, there was no official data on the number of enforced disappearances in the country.
The commission also believed the ratification of ICPPED would not only ensure necessary legal protections and remedies for the victims of enforced disappearances but also reflect the government’s stand that such incidents were not acceptable.
Meanwhile, in reference to the special task force established by the government on May 23 to investigate the disappearances of Pastor Raymond Koh Keng Joo and social activist Amri Che Mat, Suhakam today expressed disappointment over the fact that the terms of reference for the task force had not been made public.
Koh, 64, was reported to have been kidnapped by a group of masked men in Kelana Jaya on Feb 13, 2017, while Amri, 44, co-founder of Persatuan Kebajikan Harapan Perlis, was reported missing on Nov 24, 2016.
On April 3, Suhakam had released its report on its public investigation into both disappearances, with the report concluding that the Special Branch had been involved in the enforced disappearances of Koh and Amri.
Following that, the Cabinet approved the establishment of the task force to probe the Suhakam report and it was given six months to complete its investigations and submit a report to the Home Ministry.
The task force is led by former High Court Judge Datuk Abd Rahim Uda, while its members comprise Datuk Muhammad Bukhari Ab Hamid (Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission’s operations division director); Mohd Sophian Zakaria (Attorney-General’s Chambers’ prosecution division’s legal officer); Mohd Russaini Idrus (Home Ministry’s Police Commission’s under-secretary); Datuk Zamri Yahya (Bukit Aman’s Integrity and Standard Compliance Department (JIPS) director); Azian Umar (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s inspection and consultancy division assistant commissioner) and Datuk Roger Tan Kor Mee (lawyer). - Bernama
