This week marks six years since a Malaysian pastor was kidnapped off a Kuala Lumpur street and never seen again.
Pastor Raymond Koh was driving to a friend’s house when three black SUVs cut off his car and several men in balaclavas bundled him into their car and drove off escorted by two motorbikes.
The entire operation took 45 seconds.
in 2019 the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia concluded the pastor had been taken by the police special branch on behalf of the state.
Nearly four years later a government special task force set up to investigate the disappearance has not produced a report.
Pastor Koh’s family filed a lawsuit against the police and the government in 2020, seeking damages over his disappearance.
They also sought orders that the authorities be held liable for his unlawful abduction and for misfeasance in public office.
A High Court hearing into that case has still not been completed.
The pastor’s wife Susanna Koh remains in the dark over what happened:
“Next to nothing. It has been silence from the authorities, police and the government.” she told Premier Christian News.
“There’s been no updates, no news, no resolution, no one has approached us to tell us anything.”
“Six years is really a long time and I’m feeling a bit tired of waiting.”
Despite being worn down by the process she and her adult children have vowed not to lose their faith.
“We believe that God has the best timing, and we will trust him for everything.”
Susannah Koh and her son were interrogated by police soon after her husband’s disappearance.
It was alleged the pastor had been involved in proselytising Muslims and Christianisation which is illegal in Malaysia.
Raymond Koh’s church was raided and he once received a box containing two bullets and a death threat, prior to his kidnap.
After authorities failed to offer any explanations for what happened to him, Susannah began her own investigations and uncovered damning surveillance video of her husband’s abduction.
It was an embarrassment to the government and the police, but neither the vehicles nor the abductors were ever identified.
But the pastor’s family won’t be giving up.
“We will always try our best to keep his memory alive, and make sure people don’t forget what happened,” said Susannah.
She’s working with persecution charity Open Doors to urge believers outside Malaysia to write to their local politicians and foreign ministers to ensure the mystery over what happened to Pastor Raymond Koh is not just swept under the rug.
