Raymond Koh

Raymond Koh is a Christian pastor from Malaysia who was mysteriously abducted in February 2017. Police have arrested a man as part of investigations into the subsequent alleged extortion of Koh's family, and later obtained an extension of his remand. However, the police say there is no clue to the pastor's whereabouts.

The Inspector-General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar, says authorities are investigating three possibilities: the first being the pastor’s personal issues, second being extremist activities and third being kidnap-for-ransom.

There are possible links to Koh's role as a Christian activist at a time when Malaysia is moving to enforce stricter Islamic laws. The pastor was involved in a controversy during in 2011, after being accused of proselytising Muslims. A box containing two bullets, with a note in written in Malay threatening his life, had been sent to Koh's house.

The Malaysian Government Opposition Leader, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, compares Koh's abduction to that of another social activist, Amri Che Mat, who went missing in November 2016. Human rights group Hakam expressed concern over the apparent abduction of another pastor, Joshua Hilmi, and his wife Ruth who also went missing in November 2016.

In Malaysia it is illegal to encourage Muslims to renounce their faith or convert to another religion, and there are strict penalties for doing so.