http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/bl...n-mount-kinabalu-barred-from-leaving-malaysia
Canadian siblings who allegedly posed naked on Mount Kinabalu barred from leaving Malaysia
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Adam Miller, The Canadian Press
Sunday, Jun. 7, 2015
This photo posted to the the Kinabalu Park Facebook page reportedly shows the 10 tourists who posed naked at Mount Kinabalu. Facebook
TORONTO — Two Canadians barred from leaving Malaysia, amid reports they could be charged after allegedly posing naked atop Mount Kinabalu, the country’s highest peak, are getting assistance from The Department of Foreign Affairs.
Spokesman Nicolas Doire says the department is aware two Canadians have been prevented from leaving the country, adding that Canadian consular officials in Malaysia are in contact with authorities.
Foreign Affairs could not confirm the identity of the Canadians, citing privacy concerns, but Malaysia’s foreign affairs ministry identified them as Canadian siblings Lindsey Petersen and Danielle Petersen.
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake Friday sent rocks and boulders raining down the trekking routes on 4,095-metre-high Mount Kinabalu in eastern Sabah state on Borneo island.
Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu is seen among mists from the Timpohon gate check point a day after the earthquake in Kundasang, a town in the district of Ranau on June 6, 2015. MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images
Search efforts for six missing climbers continued Sunday, after rescuers recovered 13 dead from a strong earthquake that had trapped scores of trekkers.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan blamed the tragedy on a group of 10 foreigners who “showed disrespect to the sacred mountain” by posing naked at the peak last week. He said a special ritual would be conducted later to “appease the mountain spirit.”
Officials have said a group of foreigners — including two Canadians — broke away from their entourage and stripped naked before taking photos at the mountain peak on May 30.
Floyd Petersen said he was unaware of the allegations against his son and daughter but said they were travelling through Southeast Asia and had not told him of the alleged incident.
A helicopter leaves Kundasang, Malaysia for Mount Kinabalu to recover the bodies of climbers Saturday, June 6, 2015. Rescuers on Saturday recovered the bodies of several more climbers from Malaysia's highest peak a day after it was struck by a strong earthquake. Munehiro Yamaoka/Kyodo News via AP
“Would you tell your parents you did this?” he said from his home in Wood Mountain, Sask., on Saturday, adding that the pair called him only periodically from their trip. “I don’t have anything to say, I’m just absorbing this.”
Local media reported Sunday that a senior official with the Sabah Parks said the Canadians could face charges in a native court for allegedly violating local native laws.
The Malaysian Insider reports that Datuk Seri Tengku Zainal Adlin told reporters at the Sabah Park headquarters in Kundasang on Sunday that the tourists were in police custody in Kota Kinabalu and could be charged as early as Monday.
With files from The Associated Press
Canadian siblings who allegedly posed naked on Mount Kinabalu barred from leaving Malaysia
Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Email
Adam Miller, The Canadian Press
Sunday, Jun. 7, 2015
This photo posted to the the Kinabalu Park Facebook page reportedly shows the 10 tourists who posed naked at Mount Kinabalu. Facebook
TORONTO — Two Canadians barred from leaving Malaysia, amid reports they could be charged after allegedly posing naked atop Mount Kinabalu, the country’s highest peak, are getting assistance from The Department of Foreign Affairs.
Spokesman Nicolas Doire says the department is aware two Canadians have been prevented from leaving the country, adding that Canadian consular officials in Malaysia are in contact with authorities.
Foreign Affairs could not confirm the identity of the Canadians, citing privacy concerns, but Malaysia’s foreign affairs ministry identified them as Canadian siblings Lindsey Petersen and Danielle Petersen.
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake Friday sent rocks and boulders raining down the trekking routes on 4,095-metre-high Mount Kinabalu in eastern Sabah state on Borneo island.
Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu is seen among mists from the Timpohon gate check point a day after the earthquake in Kundasang, a town in the district of Ranau on June 6, 2015. MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images
Search efforts for six missing climbers continued Sunday, after rescuers recovered 13 dead from a strong earthquake that had trapped scores of trekkers.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan blamed the tragedy on a group of 10 foreigners who “showed disrespect to the sacred mountain” by posing naked at the peak last week. He said a special ritual would be conducted later to “appease the mountain spirit.”
Officials have said a group of foreigners — including two Canadians — broke away from their entourage and stripped naked before taking photos at the mountain peak on May 30.
Floyd Petersen said he was unaware of the allegations against his son and daughter but said they were travelling through Southeast Asia and had not told him of the alleged incident.
A helicopter leaves Kundasang, Malaysia for Mount Kinabalu to recover the bodies of climbers Saturday, June 6, 2015. Rescuers on Saturday recovered the bodies of several more climbers from Malaysia's highest peak a day after it was struck by a strong earthquake. Munehiro Yamaoka/Kyodo News via AP
“Would you tell your parents you did this?” he said from his home in Wood Mountain, Sask., on Saturday, adding that the pair called him only periodically from their trip. “I don’t have anything to say, I’m just absorbing this.”
Local media reported Sunday that a senior official with the Sabah Parks said the Canadians could face charges in a native court for allegedly violating local native laws.
The Malaysian Insider reports that Datuk Seri Tengku Zainal Adlin told reporters at the Sabah Park headquarters in Kundasang on Sunday that the tourists were in police custody in Kota Kinabalu and could be charged as early as Monday.
With files from The Associated Press
