Cops launch missing persons’ inquiry after reported abduction of Myanmar refugee activist, family from KL home

KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — Police have started an investigation into the alleged abduction of Myanmar refugee activist Thuzar Maung and her family from their home in Ampang Jaya.

Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said that the investigation is being carried out as police have received a report on the matter.

“The investigation has been opened under the Missing Persons’ Police Inquiry Paper,” he was quoted as saying in a report by The Star.

Yesterday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the Malaysian government to immediately prioritise a thorough and transparent investigation into the possible abduction of Thuzar Maung and her family.

In a statement, HRW Asia director Elaine Pearson said that Thuzar Maung, 46, also spelled Thu Zar Moung, is an outspoken supporter of Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement and a long-time advocate for democracy in Myanmar and refugee and migrant rights in Malaysia.

“We fear that Thuzar Maung and her family were abducted in a planned operation and are at grave risk.

“The Malaysian government should urgently act to locate the family and ensure their safety,” she said.

Pearson said that Thuzar Maung, her husband, Saw Than Tin Win, 43; her daughter, Poeh Khing Maung, 16; and sons Aung Myint Maung, 21, and Thukha Maung, 17, were believed to have been abducted by unidentified men from their residence in Ampang Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, based on reports from witnesses and CCTV footage.

“On July 4, at about 4.30pm, a car entered the gated community where the family lives. The driver told the security guards they were police.

“Two hours later, Thuzar Maung was on the phone with a friend, who heard her yell to her husband that unknown men were entering the house, before being disconnected.

“At about 7.10pm, the same car and the two cars owned by Thuzar Maung’s family were seen leaving the compound. Thuzar Maung’s phone and the phones of her husband and children appear to have been immediately turned off, as no calls have gone through since,” Pearson explained. Pearson said that Thuzar Maung fled Myanmar for Malaysia in 2015 to escape growing violence against Muslims.

She said all five family members of Thuzar Maung are recognised by the United Nations Refugee Agency as refugees in Malaysia.