Photo posted on the Kinabalu Park’s Facebook page appears to show the 10 tourists who posed naked at Mount Kinabalu in May.
KUNDASANG, Ranau: The Malaysian government has stopped two Canadians from leaving the country after identifying them as part of the group of 10 who stripped naked to take pictures at 8km point of Mt Kinabalu.
The two Canadians, according to Canadian daily Toronto Star, were siblings – 23-year-old Lindsey Petersen and his younger sister Danielle Petersen, 22.
They were barred from leaving because Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Pairin Kitingan had blamed the earthquake which struck Mt Kinabalu on Friday on this group.
He said in a press conference on Saturday that it was their disrespectful act towards the sacred mountain which had brought about the earthquake which has killed 18 as of 2.45 pm today.
When contacted on the latest developments, Pairin said he is leaving it to the police to decide if the two Canadians allegedly involved in posing nude on Mount Kinabalu will be charged in Native Court or Civil Court.
He said it was good news that those involved in the incident had been located.
“I would expect that the police would get to the bottom of the case and find out what had happened. It is up to the police to work out if they should be charged according to native law or civil law,” he said.
Pairin also expressed hope that the others who were involved in the incident will be located soon so that they too can face the music.
“This will show them that it doesn’t pay to disrespect the laws and customs of the locals here in Sabah,” he stressed.
Earlier in a press conference, Pairin said the action of this group of tourists had angered the spirits, and they had shown their displeasure through the earthquake.
A traditional rite and ceremony to appease the spirits on Mount Kinabalu will be conducted soon, said Pairin who is also the Huguan Siou (Paramount leader of the KadazanDusun Murut people).
“As the Huguan Siou, I believe what they did had resulted in the disaster that occurred. We have been discussing what to do to appease the spirits dwelling on Mount Kinabalu, and we will conduct the ceremony as soon as possible.”
Pairin pointed out that the tourists who decided to go nude on top of the mountain had done something that is against the traditional belief of the KadazanDusun Murut people and their action is also a sign of disrespect of the sacred mountain itself.
“We all have our beliefs about Mount Kinabalu and for the natives here it is a sacred mountain, where their spirits will dwell after they have passed away. Therefore, from time to time, a sacrificial ceremony will be held to appease the spirits dwelling on the mountain. This is to ensure the safety of the climbers.
“When we have respect for the mountain we will not do anything uncivilised and that was what had happened on the summit.
“When the earthquake occurred, it can be taken as confirmation of what the consequences would be when these people decided to bare it all on top of the mountain. We cannot play around with the spirits on our sacred mountain.”
Ten tourists had undressed and taken pictures of themselves after reaching the summit on May 10. Only five have been identified by name so far. The rest were two Dutch citizens named Eleanor Hawrins and Dylan Thomas, and a German citizen named Stephan Pohlner.
- Source: The Borneo Post
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