A Malaysian court has ordered a fresh probe into the disappearance of a Christian pastor and a Muslim social activist after ruling the government and police were responsible for them going missing. 

The Kuala Lumpur High Court also awarded nearly US$9 million in compensation to their relatives in the ruling, which prompted renewed appeals for justice from Church leaders and the families.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said on Nov. 10 that police would comply with the court’s directive to reopen probes into the disappearances of Pastor Raymond Koh and social activist Amri Che Mat almost a decade ago.

“My focus now is on the court’s directive requiring the police to carry out the two actions — to resume the investigation and to establish the whereabouts of Pastor Koh,” Saifuddin said.

Koh, known for his interfaith work and social outreach, was abducted in broad daylight on Feb. 13, 2017, in Petaling Jaya by masked men, which was captured on CCTV.

Amri, a social activist from Perlis, was taken on Nov. 24, 2016, when his car was surrounded by several vehicles.

High Court Judge Su Tiang Joo, in a Nov. 5 ruling, ordered the government to pay Koh’s family RM10,000 (US$2,420) per day from the date of his abduction until he is found, along with RM4 million in general damages and RM250,000 in legal costs — totaling about RM37 million (US$8.95 million).

The court also awarded more than RM3 million to Amri’s family for negligence in the police investigation.

It also ordered police to report their progress to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) — which represents the state — every two months, and that the original investigating officers be replaced.

However, the AGC appealed against the compensation order — a move the Anglican Inter-Faith Commission described as “a betrayal of the government’s promise of reform, compassion, trust, and good governance.”

In 2019, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) concluded that both Koh and Amri were victims of enforced disappearance carried out by the police’s Special Branch unit.

Anglican Bishop Danald Jute, chairperson of the inter-faith commission, told UCA News that the appeal showed the government was “more concerned with shielding institutional impunity than with upholding truth and justice.”

He urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to direct the Attorney General to withdraw the appeal, saying it “chooses legal technicality over moral accountability.”

“All those responsible for their enforced disappearance must be held criminally accountable, whoever they might be,” Bishop Jute said.

Amri’s wife, Norhayati Mohd Arifin, questioned the government’s delay in delivering justice.

“While the government has the right to appeal, where is the same urgency in investigating those responsible for the disappearances?” she asked.

Koh’s wife, Susanna Liew, said her family was “perplexed” by the government’s decision to challenge the court’s findings despite Suhakam’s conclusion and a special task force report linking police officers to her husband’s abduction.

She renewed her call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to summon all those named in the task force report.

“The truth must be told,” she said. “Those who carried out and ordered these acts must be brought to account.”