Yusoff Rawther's asylum bid brings up memories, says Australian writer
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| Encik Yusoff Rawther spent nine months behind bars following a controversial police raid on his car. He was acquitted of the charges of possessing illegal drugs and guns, and believes that the items were planted by those in power. |
It is not safe for me to remain in Malaysia, says Yusoff Rawther as UK processes his asylum bid
In Malaysia, Encik Muhammed Yusoff Rawther who filed a sexual assault claim against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and was arrested for allegedly carry drugs and a toy firearm in his car has made an application for political asylum in the United Kingdom. Rawther was incarcerated inside a solitary confinement cell on death row while his case went to court. Rawther was acquitted but faces a state brought appeal against his acquittal later this month.
Referring to the pro-opposition news portal MalaysiaNow recent news report on Wednesday, 10 June 2026, Thailand-based Australian political analyst Prof Dr Murray Hunter said Rawther reportedly told the portal that “It is not safe for me to set foot in Malaysia until circumstances materially change, the crimes committed against me are properly investigated by independent and impartial authorities, and those responsible are held to account.”
Remembering the past incidents, Hunter further highlighted that Rawther’s case brings up memories of ‘deep state’ involvement in forcing disappearances of activists and punishing people who are considered enemies of the state apparatus.
Elements of the state colluding with business entities and ‘freelance’ operatives have been involved in many murders and disappearances over the years, he claimed.
Possible State or State-Linked Involvement
According to Hunter, one of the early cases at the beginning of this Millennian was a Swiss environmental activist Bruno Manser who lived with the indigenous Penan people in Sarawak, Borneo, from 1984–1990. He helped organize peaceful blockades against logging companies, which were closely tied to Sarawak’s political elite. He became a major international embarrassment for the Malaysian government, especially under Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Sarawak Chief Minister the late Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud. Malaysia declared him persona non grata, labeled him the “number one enemy of the state,” and reportedly placed a bounty on his head while deploying special units to hunt him.
However, there's no valid evidence that can determine to prove the allegations and assumption.
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Bruno Manser disappearance unexplained
Based on assumption, Hunter said that the case of Bruno Manser who disappeared in Sarawak may possibly had political-business networks in Sarawak that operate with significant autonomy to protect elite economic interests. Manser’s case fits a pattern of harassment and disappearance of activists challenging powerful timber/political nexuses.
No proof about what actually happened, and the case was never fully resolved through investigation, he said.
Perhaps, Hunter said, the most famous case was the brutal murder of the Mongolian model and translator Cik Altantuya Shaariibuu is frequently speculated to involve elements that could be described as a “deep state” or state-linked operation that went wrong.
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Altantuya Shaariibuu is a window into the evil that can be done
Altantuya was abducted outside her ex-lover’s home in Kuala Lumpur, taken to a jungle area in Shah Alam, shot twice, and her body destroyed with military-grade explosives. Two elite police officers from the Special Actions Unit (Unit Tindakan Khas) Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar who were both part of the bodyguard detail protecting high-level officials, including then-Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak. They were convicted of murder and originally sentenced to death (Azilah’s sentence later commuted to 40 years).
This murder has all the hallmarks of what many in Malaysia call a “deep state” hit — state agents allegedly acting to protect powerful political and business interests, with the gruesome execution and attempted total destruction of the body suggesting panic or overkill when things escalated, he said.
Other high-profile cases that fuel speculation about elements within the state apparatus targeting perceived enemies or inconvenient individuals include the enforced disappearances of Pastor Raymond Koh, Encik Amri Che Mat, Pastor Joshua Hilmy and Puan Ruth Sitepu.
Pastor Raymond Koh, was a Christian pastor known for his outreach work. He was abducted in a brazen, military-style operation in broad daylight in February 2017. Malaysia’s Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) concluded that he was a victim of enforced disappearance carried out by police Special Branch officers. A Malaysian High Court ruled in November 2025 that the government and police were responsible.
Amri Che Mat, was a social activist and Shia Muslim, disappeared in November 2016 under similar circumstances. SUHAKAM also determined his case to be an enforced disappearance involving state agents. His family, along with Koh’s, secured a landmark court victory holding the authorities accountable, though the government has appealed.
Pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife Ruth Sitepu, Christian converts, vanished around the same period in late 2016. They are frequently grouped with the Koh and Amri cases as part of a troubling pattern of abductions targeting individuals involved in religious activities deemed sensitive by certain state elements. Their fate remains unknown until to-date.
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Pamela Ling no answers from the police
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Puan Pamela Ling, a 42-year-old lawyer and MACC witness in a high-profile corruption case, was abducted in April 2025 while on her way to give a statement at the MACC headquarters. Masked men impersonating police forced her into a vehicle in a coordinated operation. Despite multiple vehicles being identified and one reportedly found abandoned near the Thai border, her whereabouts remain unknown nearly a year later, raising serious questions about possible interference in anti-corruption efforts.
The late Encik Teoh Beng Hock and Encik Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed represent controversial custodial deaths linked to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Teoh, a young political aide, was found dead on the rooftop of a building adjacent to the MACC office in 2009 after overnight interrogation. A Court of Appeal later ruled his death resulted from unlawful acts. Ahmad Sarbani, a senior Customs officer, was found dead inside the MACC building in 2011. Both cases sparked widespread outrage over interrogation methods and custodial safety.
Hunter concluded that Rawther’s decision to seek asylum abroad, citing safety concerns and the lack of impartial investigations into alleged crimes against him, adds another chapter to this long list of unresolved or controversial cases.
"Whether these incidents represent isolated events or point to a deeper pattern of state elements acting to protect powerful interests continues to be hotly debated in Malaysia," he said.
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| By Fauzi Kadir Chief Editor
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