Headlines
Four Westerners held for stripping on Malaysian mountain
Kuala Lumpur, June 10
Two Canadian siblings, a
Dutch and a Briton were taken into custody by the Malaysian authorities
on Wednesday for allegedly stripping naked on Mount Kinabalu, an act
which the locals believe angered the spirit of the mountain and caused a
deadly earthquake.
Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman, police commissioner
for the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah, said that the four Westerners
were detained on Tuesday and they were still searching for the other six
tourists. The detainees might be charged for causing public nuisance,
Xinhua news agency reported.
Jalaluddin also confirmed that two
Singaporeans, missing on Mount Kinabalu after a 5.9-magnitude earthquake
last Friday, have died.
Several days before the earthquake, a
group of foreign tourists stripped to take pictures at the top of Mount
Kinabalu, which infuriated many local people who regarded this act as
disrespectful.
Sabah's Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister
Masidi Manjun tweeted that the legal proceedings against the four
Westerners have begun and they would be remanded for four days.