Kinabalu ‘nudists’ deported from Malaysia
Print Edition
FOUR Western tourists were yesterday ordered to be deported from Malaysia after pleading guilty to obscenity charges for taking nude photos on a popular climbing peak.
The defendants — Eleanor Hawkins of Britain, 24, Dutchman Dylan Snel, 23, and Canadian brother and sister Lindsey, 23, and Danielle Petersen, 22 — were arrested this week in the wake of the deadly June 5 quake on Mount Kinabalu that left 18 people dead.
A court in Kota Kinabalu, state capital of Sabah on Borneo, sentenced them to three days in prison from when they were arrested on Tuesday, meaning their terms had been served.
They also were fined 5,000 Malaysian ringgit (US$1,330) and ordered to be deported for committing an “obscene act in a public place,” which can carry a three-month prison term.
It was not immediately clear when they would be deported.
“It is a wake-up call to tourists not to ignore local traditions and culture,” said Masidi Manjun, the state’s tourism minister.
“Since they pleaded guilty and showed remorse, it is only fair that they are let off with a fine by the court.”
The 4,095-meter peak, a World Heritage Site and popular climbing destination, is considered sacred to tribal groups on Borneo, and many Malaysians were incensed after the photos taken on May 30 appeared online.
The four people convicted yesterday were among a larger group of tourists believed by authorities to have taken part.
Police said they are still seeking five other people.
The defendants were hustled into court through a media scrum including reporters from Britain who were in the city to follow Hawkins’ fortunes.
The two women were handcuffed together, as were the men. All four appeared nervous.
The court was told they challenged each other to take off their clothes to see who could stand the cold, ignoring the admonishments of their guide.
The two men stripped completely nude while the two women went topless, the charge sheet said.
All four quickly stated “guilty” when asked to enter a plea.
Indecent exposure and other acts considered obscene are strongly frowned upon in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
Some have suggested the act angered tribal spirits believed to dwell on the mountain, causing the 6-magnitude earthquake.
Tim Hawkins, Eleanor’s father, had earlier released a statement saying his daughter knows what she did was stupid and disrespectful and is very sorry for the offense that she has caused the Malaysian people.
Following the quake, Malaysian social media users began to direct increasing anger at the nudists.
Last Saturday, Sabah’s deputy chief minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan and other officials also suggested a link to the quake.
“This is very offensive behavior and showed disrespect to the sacred mountain,” he said.
The quake, rare for Malaysia, sent landslides and boulders raining down as more than 150 hikers were near the summit.
The 18 dead included seven schoolchildren from Singapore, two of their teachers and another adult who were on a school excursion to the mountain.
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