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KUALA LUMPUR: A police officer said today in a Suhakam investigation that he felt there was nothing strange about Joshua Hilmy being in a church or being a Christian as Malaysia allowed people to practice their religious beliefs freely.
The thirteenth witness in the public inquiry into the disappearance of Joshua and Ruth Hilmy, Hairol Azhar, was responding to a question from lawyer Philip Koh about whether he found it strange that Joshua, who is Malaysian and Muslim, was in the church.
The Chief Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), Hishamuddin Yunus, asked him if he was conducting an additional investigation into Joshua, who disappeared in November 2016.
Hishamuddin said that it is true that Malaysia practices freedom of religion, but Hairol should have investigated further because Joshua was missing.
Joshua, who had converted to Christianity, and his wife, Ruth Sitepu, were last seen on November 30, 2016.
Hairol was the Sungai Way Police Chief in 2018 when he was assigned to track down Joshua’s whereabouts.
Hairol previously said that Joshua lived in a house in Kampung Tunku, Petaling Jaya, which belonged to a church goer who allowed him to stay without paying the rent.
Later, Koh asked Hairol if he had asked the owner of the house Kampung Tunku how he knew Joshua.
The officer responded that the owner, when questioned in 2018, said he had met Joshua two years earlier at a church in Seberang Prai. He told police that Joshua disappeared in December 2016.
When asked if he had asked the owner why he let Joshua stay for free, Hairol replied that “they could be good friends.”
Previously, Hishamuddin was not satisfied with the police witness who was not well prepared to present his testimony in the public inquiry.
He said he was disappointed by Hairol’s lack of information as the officer could not recall most of his events.
“An officer who comes to the investigation must be well prepared. I am quite upset and disappointed.
“He could have requested another date (if he was not well prepared).”
Police observers intervened and said that Hairol was coming from the police headquarters in Kemaman, Terengganu.
They admitted that he should have given her more time to prepare.
Hairol was in charge of the missing case for 18 days in 2018. He then submitted his report to the head of the Criminal Investigation Department on October 23 of that year before his transfer to Terengganu.
Suhakam is conducting the public inquiry into Pastor Raymond Koh, Amri Che Mat, Joshua Hilmy, and Ruth Sitepu.
Koh has been missing since February 13, 2017 after being abducted by a group of men in broad daylight, while Amri, the founder of the NGO Perlis Hope, disappeared on November 24, 2016.
In April last year, Suhakam’s panel that conducted a public inquiry concluded that Amri and Koh had been victims of enforced disappearances carried out by the Special Brigade of the police.
Amri was alleged to be spreading Shiite Islam while Koh was being investigated by Islamic authorities for allegedly trying to convert Muslims.
