Malaysia (MNN) — The High Court of Malaysia has ruled that government agents were behind the abduction of Pastor Raymond Koh eight years ago. A judge ordered the Malaysian government to pay the equivalent of over $8 million USD to Pastor Koh’s wife, Susanna, as well as additional daily payments until her husband is found.
Pastor Koh was driving to a meeting in 2017 when a convoy of masked men surrounded his car. Security footage showed at least 13 men and several vehicles kidnapping him from the street. Pastor Koh hasn’t been seen since.
When Susanna reported him missing, police questioned her about their ministry to Muslims instead of looking for her husband.
(Photo of Raymond Koh and his wife, courtesy TheStar.com)
Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA (VOM) says Pastor Koh was targeted — not just for sharing the Gospel, but for who he was reaching.
Nettleton explains, in Malaysia, “Persecution of Christians is very much dependent on your ethnicity. If you are Chinese, like Pastor Raymond Koh, then that’s fine for you to be a Christian. But if you are ethnically Malay, according to the constitution of the country, you are a Muslim…. Pastor Raymond was accused of reaching out to ethnic Malay Muslims with the Gospel.”
Susanna sued the Malaysian government and several police officers in 2020 after the nation’s Human Rights Commission found evidence of state involvement. In this week’s ruling, the judge confirmed that evidence showed police acted under government orders — not as rogue officers.
Although Nettleton says the decision may be appealed, Susanna called the verdict a step toward closure.
“That is good news for this family that has been suffering now for almost nine years, waking up every morning wondering, ‘Where is Pastor Raymond Koh? Is he alive? Is he dead? Is he sick? Is he well? Is he being mistreated?”
Nettleton says, “Hopefully, the ruling and especially the ongoing nature of the penalty will produce some really concrete answers about what happened to him and where he is.”
Malaysian flag (Photo courtesy of Izdihar Sahalan/Unsplash)
Pray that the truth of Pastor Raymond Koh’s fate would come to light. And — for the mission dear to his heart — pray for all peoples in Malaysia to know Jesus Christ.
“We want to pray for [Susanna], for God’s protection over her and her family,” Nettleton says. “But I think the biggest thing today is just, thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord, for this judgment. Thank you, Lord, for steps taken towards closure for this family, towards knowing what happened; and please protect them and open the vaults of information. Allow them to know the truth.”
Header photo: Pastor Raymond Koh, center, with his wife Susanna and their family. (Photo courtesy of The Voice of the Martyrs USA)
