00:00He would tell me, as long as there's life, there's hope, and I always remembered that, until today.
00:20For many, Father's Day is a day for celebrating that special man in your life.
00:27But for Esther Koh, there is only the empty space her father, Pastor Raymond Koh, once filled.
00:36Raymond left their home in early 2017 and has not been seen since.
00:42In 2019, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia concluded after a public hearing
00:48that he was the victim of enforced disappearance at the hands of the Special Branch.
00:54I miss him just being there.
01:01He's always making sure that things are okay in the family.
01:13So his presence is what gives me a lot of confidence and strength.
01:23Seven years on, Esther still longs to see and be with her dad.
01:28And as Father's Day rolls around, she can't help but miss him even more.
01:34Some of my favorite memories, it would be just having conversations with him in the car.
01:44I remember once I was upset about a problem I was having with a friend,
01:50and he was listening very patiently to me.
01:56And all he said was, you know, like, God knows.
02:00And that really comforted me.
02:02There are memories that still make her smile,
02:05such as when Raymond would read stories and sing songs to her before bedtime.
02:11But he will fall asleep first.
02:14He ate before me, so when it stops, then I know he's asleep.
02:22Life has not been the same since February 13, 2017.
02:27And as the family continues to search for answers, several things give Esther strength.
02:34I find strength to cope from the people who support his case.
02:43And that reminds me how Malaysian citizens are concerned about his disappearance.
02:55It gives me strength to continue to want to find out the truth.
03:02Because we need to have a closure, and we need to know what happened.
03:10Hope, as professed by Raymond, also keeps her going.
03:14She said she saw this in her father's desire to help those in need
03:18by starting a reading room for the poor and helping victims of the 2004 tsunami.
03:26Those acts that he did shows to me that he believes that there's hope
03:33for such difficult situations that people are in.
03:38He used to tell me, there's always hope.
03:44So if I am facing problems, he would always tell me, as long as there's life, there's hope.
03:52And I will always remember that until today.
04:08Divya Raghu and Shee Labajian, FMT Lifestyle.
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