The Indonesian Embassy has urged police to continue their investigation into the enforced disappearance of Joshua Hilmy and his wife

ASEAN – According to reports, the Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia has asked Malaysian authorities to speed up their investigation into the disappearance of Joshua Hilmy and Ruth Sitepu.

The earlier investigation, according to the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), was insufficient.

According to a report published by Free Malaysia yesterday, the embassy urged the Malaysian government to follow Suhakam’s suggestions and undertake a comprehensive investigation to bring the offenders to justice.

The embassy was cited as stating that they encourage the Malaysian authorities not to rest until the matter is solved since Ruth’s family and members of the public deserve to know the truth.

Ruth siblings’, Ram Ram Elisabeth and Iman Sitepu said that if she is actually dead, they asked to restore her remains to the siblings.  According to the news portal,  I t’s the only thing that’s proper and decent.

Suhakam was quoted earlier today as suggesting that the Hilmys were likely victims of a forced disappearance with the police’s acquiescence.

Suhakam’s investigation, which was chaired by retired judge Datuk Seri Mohd Hishamudin Md Yunus and was monitored by a three-man panel, concluded that authorities failed to examine the matter diligently and properly and had delayed the probe’s progress.

It did say, however, that there was no indication that state operatives were involved in the Hilmys’ kidnapping.

The Hilmys were reported missing on March 6, 2017, however press sources indicated they had last been seen on November 30, 2016, over four months earlier.

Joshua’s proselytisation of Christianity to Muslims in Malaysia, as well as sensitive social media posts, were purportedly related to the couple’s enforced abduction, according to Hishamudin. Joshua was raised as a Muslim but converted to Christianity in 2003 in Singapore.