Kidnap of Malaysian witness by ‘police officers’ sparks fears over public safety

Pamela Ling’s abduction while on her way to testify is the latest in a series of vanishings involving businesspeople and activists

The daylight abduction of a key Malaysian witness in a corruption case while on her way to see prosecutors has raised fears over public safety and state impunity, as authorities investigate accounts that the kidnappers wore police uniforms.

Pamela Ling Yueh, 42, was snatched on April 9 after her e-hailing ride was stopped near the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) headquarters in Putrajaya.

The kidnapped woman is a key witness in a money laundering investigation involving both her and her husband, Thomas Hah Tiing Siu, according to the commission.

Hah, a prominent Sarawakian businessman, has been involved in a controversial land deal in neighbouring Sabah, according to news reports.

The couple are reportedly in the midst of divorcing.

“The woman failed to appear at the MACC headquarters on that date,” the corruption body said, adding “a police report was also filed by the lawyer representing the woman regarding her disappearance on the same day”.

The case has shocked the Malaysian public – in part because it was made public only on Friday, more than 20 days after the abduction, raising concerns over her whereabouts and safety.

Malaysia’s police chief Razarudin Husain said authorities had questioned 12 witnesses, including the driver of the e-hailing vehicle.

“We are still investigating the allegations that the victim was abducted by individuals wearing police uniforms or vests,” Razarudin said on Monday. Police are also reviewing CCTV from the area.

The perpetrators could be impersonating law enforcement officers to undermine the police and MACC, he added.

The e-hailing driver, whose name has been reported only as Kok, 55, said his car was boxed in by three vehicles near the MACC headquarters.

Two men in police vests and a woman in uniform got out and claimed they were taking Ling for investigation.

She initially refused, but agreed after they said she would be brought to a nearby police station.

Kok said he was paid “over 100 ringgit” (US$24) for the fare and forced to mark the journey as complete on his driver’s app

The alleged officers also took his identity card, driving licence and phone number.

‘Disturbing trend’

Ling’s disappearance is the latest in a string of abductions that have seen businesspeople, activists, Christian pastors and a Shia Muslim activist vanish under similar circumstances.

Myanmar pro-democracy activist Thuzar Maung, her husband and two children – living in Malaysia as UNHCR-verified refugees – were taken from their gated community home in Kuala Lumpur in broad daylight in 2023.

The driver of the car carrying the abductors told compound security guards that they were police officers. The family has not been heard from since.

Ling’s family lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo chastised the MACC for failing to lodge a report of its own when she failed to arrive for her interview.

“Disappearances under suspicious circumstances are becoming a disturbing trend in Malaysia. Each unresolved case chips away at public confidence in our institutions and the rule of law. Such incidents must never be treated as routine. There must be answers and accountability,” the lawyer said.

Ling’s disappearance has drawn comparisons to that of Pastor Raymond Koh in 2017 as well as similar cases involving Pastor Joshua Hilmy and wife Ruth Sitepu, and Shia Muslim convert Amri Che Mat in 2016.

None of their families received any demand for ransom.

Koh, a Christian pastor based in Petaling Jaya, had previously been investigated by religious authorities for allegedly proselytising to Muslims – a sensitive offence in Malaysia, where Islam is the official religion and Malays are legally defined as Muslim.

As with Ling, Koh was taken in broad daylight, in public, and with striking coordination.

During a public inquiry into Koh’s disappearance, witness Roeshan Celestine Gomez testified that when he lodged a police report, officers told him the incident he described “looked very much like the modus operandi of a police operation” and not a kidnapping.

Then-police chief Khalid Abu Bakar, however, condemned the media and NGOs for reporting on the case, warning that speculation could put the victim in greater danger.