Locals are infuriated at ten tourists who posed naked at Mount Kinabulu in Malaysia on Friday, blaming them for the 5.9 magnitude quake that killed 18 climbers. The photos of the ten hikers spread through social media.
Two Canadian siblings and a Dutch man surrendered themselves and a British woman trying to leave the country was captured at Sabah airport on Tuesday.
Police obtained a court order to detain the four of them for four days while investigating their plate-tectonic moving behavior. Malaysian Police Commissioner Jalaluddin Abdul says that they are being investigated for indecent behavior while the other six in the picture are wanted also.
A Sabah official has linked the earthquake to the travelers who showed “disrespect to the sacred mountain” when they stripped naked and posed on May 30. The mountain – a popular climbing destination and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – is believed to be a resting place for spirits.
Deputy Chief Minister of the State of Sabah, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin, said:
At first I didn’t think anything of it, but after it went on for more than half an hour I knew something was not well. I brought it up with my wife and we bought agreed that something bad was going to happen.
The next day, I was on the way to the airport when the earthquake occurred. To me, when something like this happens, it is a clear connection of the incident to the earthquake that has brought about so much damage and loss of lives.
There is almost certainly a connection. We have to take this as a reminder that local beliefs and customs are not to be disrespected.
The Canadian further enraged locals when he posted a video on Youtube and a post on Facebook where he ridiculed “deranged p*****” who “linked earthquakes to mountaintop nudity.” He received death threats following these comments.
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