Naked Tourists In Malaysia Fined And Thrown Out Of The Country

The Western tourists who posed naked on top of a mountain in Malaysia, infuriating locals who blamed their actions for a deadly earthquake a few days later, have been sentenced to three days in jail, fined, and will be deported, Yahoo News is reporting.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, 10 Western tourists stripped naked and took photos of themselves after scaling Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Malaysia. The tourists claimed they were daring each other to see who could withstand the cold the longest on top of the 13,000-foot mountain, despite the pleas of their Malaysian guide. Their actions angered the locals, who claimed that their “obscene” acts angered the spirit of the mountain, which resulted in a deadly earthquake six days later that killed 18 mountain climbers nearby.

Tribal priest Tindarama Aman Sirom Simbuna even suggested a rather unique way the naked tourists could make things right with the local gods.

“The tourists who angered the guardian of the mountain should pay for their mistakes by giving sogit. This should be in the form of ten male or female buffalo.”

Four of the tourists – Eleanor Hawkins of Britain, 24, Dylan Snel of the Netherlands, 23, and Canadians Lindsey, 23, and Danielle Petersen, 22, who are brother and sister – were arrested and jailed on Wednesday, according to MSN. Authorities had sought the other six, but they are now believed to have left the area.

On Friday, a court in Kota Kinabalu sentenced the naked tourists to three days in jail — to be served beginning when they were jailed earlier this week, meaning that they have already served their time. They were also each fined 5,000 Malaysian ringgit ( about $1,330) and ordered deported. Their official criminal charge was “committing an obscene act in a public place,” which in Malaysia can carry up to a six-month prison sentence.

Malaysian tourism minister Masidi Manjun says that the naked tourists’ plight makes it clear that tourists should be careful about not upsetting locals with their behavior when they visit foreign countries.

“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.”

Do you think a fine and deportation is a fair sentence for the naked tourists in Malaysia? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.

[Image courtesy of: Twitter]