Sabah's Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan recently stated that the earthquake, which has so far taken the lives of 11 climbers, was brought on by tourists who stripped naked at the Mount Kinabalu.
According to the Malay Mail Online, the 74-year-old said that the tragedy was a "confirmation" of the consequences of the actions of the 10 Europeans who he said had been disrespectful to local customs, The Straits Times reported.
On May 30, pictures of five naked men on the mountain, surfaced on social media, followed by a picture of the 10 tourists, including four women, undressing near the south peak of Mount Kinabalu. Sabahans railed against the images, as they consider the mountain sacred.
Pairin Kitingan called on the culprits to be brought to a native court to be charged.
