KUALA LUMPUR: The siblings of Indonesian Ruth Sitepu, who has been missing together with her husband pastor Joshua Hilmy since November 2016, are pleading with the Malaysian authorities to help locate her.
Ruth’s sister, Ram Ram Elisabeth, said Ruth is a responsible and caring person and she would always respond to their messages.
“We miss her very much. We hope the Malaysian government and the Malaysian people will help us find her.
“She is a good person. We hope to be united with her again,” she said while holding back tears.
She was speaking to reporters after a public hearing held by Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) to probe the disappearance of Ruth and Joshua.
Ram Ram, who is the fifth out of eight siblings, said there could be
individuals with information about Ruth and Joshua and the circumstances of their disappearance.
“We are desperate to know what happened to our sister and brother-in-law,” she said.
Ruth’s younger brother, Iman Setiawan Sitepu, said they arrived in Kuala Lumpur yesterday and would be going back to Indonesia tomorrow.
He said they were from a big family and everyone was waiting for Ruth’s return. “We trust the Malaysian authorities will help us find her.”
Joshua, a Malay Muslim who converted to Christianity, and Ruth were last seen on Nov 30, 2016.
They were married in Oct 2004.
The next inquiry will be held on March 2. The inquiry tentatively held over 14 days, between today and April 29, 2020, is chaired by commissioner Hishamuddin Yunus, assisted by commissioners Jerald Joseph and Madeline Berma.
The public inquiry is to assist the authorities with their ongoing investigation into the missing couple and to identify the best possible recommendations and to work on these with appropriate parties.
It is also to determine if it involved enforced disappearance and to consider whether the authorities, specifically the police, have taken adequate steps into the investigation of the case.