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1. Four tourists are to be deported from Malaysia over nude photo scandal.
Four Western tourists will be deported from Malaysia after pleading guiltily to charges of obscenity for taking nude photographs on on Mount Kinabalu.
The four were charged with committing an “obscene act in a public place,” and sentenced three days jail time starting from when they were arrested on Tuesday, meaning their term had been served.
The defendants, Dutch national Dylan Snel, 23, Canadian siblings Lindsey Petersen, 23, and Danielle Petersen, 22 and Eleanor Hawkins of Britain, 24 were also fined 5,000 Malaysian ringgit ($1,700).
According to the ABC, Masidi Manjun, the state’s tourism minister said, “It is a wake-up call to tourists not to ignore local traditions and culture.”
“Since they pleaded guilty and showed remorse, it is only fair that they are let off with a fine by the court.”
The popular climbing peak and World Heritage Site is considered as sacred to tribal groups of Borneo. Some have suggested that the offensive act may have caused the 6.0-magnitude earthquake on June 5 that resulted in 18 deaths.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Sabah’s Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan said, “This is very offensive behaviour and showed disrespect to the sacred mountain … This will certainly bring misfortune.”
He added, “We can’t play with the spirit of the sacred mountain.”