KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin has denied today contacting missing activist Joshua Hilmy, after testimony in a Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) today naming him.
The former minister said he is not personally acquainted with Joshua, his wife Ruth, or the witness Selvakumar Peace John Harris.
“I strongly deny this claim,” the former youth and sports minister said in a statement.
“I would like to state unequivocally that I have never communicated with Joshua Hilmy either though emails or in any other form of communication.
“The testimony of Selvakumar Peace John Harris relating to me is untrue,” he added.
Earlier, it was reported that Selvakumar related that Khairy had emailed the pastor, with his urging believed to be related to Joshua’s baptising a Malay couple in January 2015.
Selvakumar, who was the owner of Joshua and Ruth’s residence in Selangor, said he was shown a copy of the email in Penang when the pastor visited him there in May 2016.
He also claimed that Joshua and Khairy had exchanged several emails.
Selvakumar’s testimony continues tomorrow.
Joshua, who was believed to be a Malay-Muslim who converted to Christianity, and Ruth, were last seen on November 30, 2016 and subsequently reported missing on March 6 the following year.
Previously, Suhakam also conducted an inquiry into the abductions of two other activists — Pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat — and concluded that they were the victims of “enforced disappearance”.
Suhakam concluded in its inquiry then that the police’s Special Branch was involved, based on witness testimony as well as footage of Koh’s abduction that was caught by a nearby surveillance camera.
