Outrage intensifies in Malaysia
Offi cials suggest climbers who posed nude on mountain caused earthquake
A man who launched a social media tirade against Malaysian officials upset about a group of climbers, including two Canadians, who posed nude on a sacred mountain is fuelling growing outrage in the country.
“Oh, Malaysia, why are your politicians so stupid?” Emil Kaminski wrote on Facebook, accompanied by some nude photos of himself on mountains. “Some deranged prick has linked earthquakes and mountaintop nudity.”
Kaminski was referring to Malaysian officials who suggested the climbers’ disrespect for Mt. Kinabalu triggered a deadly 6.0- magnitude earthquake and landslides that killed at least 16 hikers on Friday.
A Saskatchewan brother and sister, Lindsey Petersen, 23, and Danielle Petersen, 22, are among a group of tourists Malaysian police accuse of breaking off from a tour and taking nude photos on the mountain on May 30. Th eir guide scolded them for the shoot.
Police have said the tourists aren’t allowed to the leave the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah until an investigation is complete.
On Tuesday, a woman was formally arrested while trying to leave Sabah for Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, Reuters reported. Her nationality isn’t known.
It’s not clear whether Kaminski, who runs an irreverent travel blog called Monkeetime, was part of the group of climbers or even whether he has any connection to them.
But his Facebook post, along with a profanity- laden 12- minute video on YouTube, appears to be infl aming the situation and has provoked thousands of enraged comments — including death threats — from people accusing him of being culturally insensitive and disrespectful to Malaysia.
In the video, he claims to be in a hotel in the Sabah town of Tawau.
Some of the commenters — as well as Malaysian news site The Star Online — refer to Kaminski as a Canadian.
His Facebook page says he’s from Hong Kong, but there has been no offi cial confi rmation of his nationality.
In response to an e- mail request for an update on the Petersens Tuesday, the offi ce of the minister of state ( foreign aff airs and consular) said, “We are aware of reports that two Canadians have been barred from leaving Malaysia. Canadian consular offi cials in Malaysia are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information and are providing consular assistance.”