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Malaysia's Kinabalu mountain 'nude' tourists in court | Malaysia's Kinabalu mountain 'nude' tourists in court |
(35 minutes later) | |
Four Western tourists accused of being part of a group who posed nude at the top of Mount Kinabalu have appeared in court in Malaysia's Sabah state. | Four Western tourists accused of being part of a group who posed nude at the top of Mount Kinabalu have appeared in court in Malaysia's Sabah state. |
Authorities said the two Canadians, a Briton and a Dutchman may be charged with causing public nuisance. | Authorities said the two Canadians, a Briton and a Dutchman may be charged with causing public nuisance. |
Mt Kinabalu was hit by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake last Friday which left 18 people dead, including children. | Mt Kinabalu was hit by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake last Friday which left 18 people dead, including children. |
A senior minister last week said the tourists had angered the spirits of the mountain, which is considered sacred. | A senior minister last week said the tourists had angered the spirits of the mountain, which is considered sacred. |
Six people sought | Six people sought |
Ranau district police chief Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah confirmed to the BBC that the authorities had arrested a British woman at Tawau airport in Sabah on Tuesday. | Ranau district police chief Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah confirmed to the BBC that the authorities had arrested a British woman at Tawau airport in Sabah on Tuesday. |
The two Canadians, who are siblings, and the Dutchman turned themselves in to police on the same day. | The two Canadians, who are siblings, and the Dutchman turned themselves in to police on the same day. |
Their lawyer, Ronny Cham, told the BBC's Jennifer Pak that he had requested the four be held apart from other detainees in order to ensure their safety. | |
The group appeared in court on Wednesday to have their remand extended, according to Malaysian newspaper The Star. They will now be held until Saturday while police continue their investigation. | |
Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman, Sabah's police commissioner, was quoted by AFP news agency as saying that the authorities may charge them with causing a public nuisance. | Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman, Sabah's police commissioner, was quoted by AFP news agency as saying that the authorities may charge them with causing a public nuisance. |
He said they were still looking for six other tourists from the same group "and we will catch them". | |
'Disrespect' | 'Disrespect' |
The group of 10 foreigners had allegedly stripped naked and posed for pictures on 30 May. They were also said to have urinated on the mountain. | |
The majority Muslim country is socially conservative, and Mount Kinabalu is also considered sacred by Sabah's Kadazan Dusun tribe. | The majority Muslim country is socially conservative, and Mount Kinabalu is also considered sacred by Sabah's Kadazan Dusun tribe. |
Pictures posted on social media angered many in Malaysia, but public sentiment intensified after the quake. | Pictures posted on social media angered many in Malaysia, but public sentiment intensified after the quake. |
Why is Kinabalu sacred? | |
Last weekend, Sabah's deputy chief minister, Joseph Pairin Kitingan, had linked the earthquake to the tourists' act. He said the tragedy was a "confirmation" that they had showed "disrespect" to the mountain. | |
Sabah's tourism minister, Masidi Manjun, said later that this idea was "misconstrued", but added that the tourists' actions "were against the people of the largest tribe in Sabah". | |
Some officials have demanded that the foreigners be tried in a native court for flouting local customs. | Some officials have demanded that the foreigners be tried in a native court for flouting local customs. |
Mr Masidi said on Wednesday that searchers had found the bodies of the last two missing people. | Mr Masidi said on Wednesday that searchers had found the bodies of the last two missing people. |
Singapore's education ministry identified the two bodies as pupil Navdeep Singh Jaryal Raj Kumar and teacher Mohammad Ghazi Bin Mohamed. | |
They were part of a group from Tanjong Katong Primary School who were climbing the mountain with guides when the earthquake struck. Seven pupils, two teachers and a guide were killed. | |
Others killed included Malaysians and citizens from China, Japan and the Philippines. | Others killed included Malaysians and citizens from China, Japan and the Philippines. |