Khalid: Abductors could have learned moves from movies

SUHAKAM INQUIRY | Former inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar has suggested that those who abducted Pastor Raymond Koh could have learned their moves from a movie.

“You can see in the movies every day. Can learn from the movies,” Khalid told the Suhakam inquiry into the disappearance of Koh and several other activists.

Lawyer Gurdial Singh, who was representing Koh's family, had asked if Khalid thought the abduction was carried out in a professional manner.

However, the former police chief had agreed with Gurdial's suggestion that the men wearing balaclavas could have appeared like professionals to the layperson.

"Maybe. It is possible," he said.

Koh, 62, was abducted from his car by a group of men along Jalan SS4B/10 in Petaling Jaya about 11am on Feb 13, while he was on his way to a friend's house.

His silver-coloured Honda Accord bearing the number plate ST 5515 D has not been found.

In the afternoon session of the inquiry, Khalid was further grilled on the details from CCTV footages which showed how the alleged abduction was carried out, including on whether it could have involved police's special operations unit.

Lawyer Gerald Gomez, who took over from Gurdial, singled out a black Toyota Hilux from seven vehicles seen in the footages and asked Khalid whether he was aware that it could have belonged to the police.

"I am very sure we have a Nissan but not sure about a Toyota Hilux," said the former top cop.

On two motorcycles seen with the fleet of vehicles, Khalid said he would not know if they were involved or otherwise and insisted that it is common nature for Malaysians to be "busybodies".

"We saw it (the motorcycles) just now, but whether they are involved we don't know. I cannot confirm that," he said.

The Suhakam inquiry was investigating whether the disappearance of Koh, activist Amri Chemat, pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife Ruth Hilmy were cases of enforced disappearances as defined by the International Convention for Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearances (ICPPED).

The convention was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2006, but Malaysia is not a party to the convention.

It defines enforced disappearances as the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty by agents of the state or by persons, or groups of persons, acting with the authorisation, support or acquiescence of the state.- Mkini