After a woman on a mountain stripped naked as part of a nudist stunt on top of Mount Kinabalu, some politicians are blaming Eleanor Hawkins for causing Malaysia’s earthquake by showing “disrespect to the sacred mountain.”
The angry spirits supposedly caused the 5.9-magnitude quake, which killed 18 climbers six days later after the nudist photos were taken.
In a related report by the Inquisitr , some scientists actually believe an oarfish sighting can be used for earthquake predictions .
Mount Kinabalu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is considered a sacred site and Joseph Pairin Kitingan, deputy chief minister of the state of Sabah, chided the photos of the naked woman on the mountain, saying, “It is a sacred mountain and you cannot take it lightly.” Kitingan plans on conducting a special ritual in order to “appease the mountain spirit.
Four foreigners held for stripping atop Mt Kinabalu http://t.co/zHZvo4u5B2 #SabahQuake pic.twitter.com/eXNoB5zb16
— malaysiakini.com (@malaysiakini) June 10, 2015
Sabah’s state tourism minister, Masidi Manjun, says he never claimed that having a naked woman on a woman could cause earthquakes. Instead, he suggested that his previous comments had been “misconstrued” by the media.
“I never said that they actually caused the earthquake, but their actions were against the people of the largest tribe in Sabah,” he said. “The mountain is a revered and sacred site.”
According to ITV , Eleanor Hawkins was detained at Sabah airport and arrested for the alleged act of public indecency. Due to the anger of the Malaysians, it is claimed Hawkins fears for her safety while she awaits trial along with Dutch tourist, Dylan Snel, and two Canadian siblings, Lindsey and Danielle Petersen. Their lawyer, Ronny Cham, is requesting they be held separately in jail while the alleged nudist photos are investigated.
“I ask the court they be held in separate custody from other detainees. Because of the sentiment in this case, we want to protect their safety,” Cham explained, according to The Guardian . “People are laying blame on them for offending the mountain. There is a lot of stupidity involved and unfortunately politicians have jumped on the bandwagon to condemn them for causing the earthquake, which is ridiculous.”
Tim Hawkins, Eleanor’s father, says she is upset and “pretty scared.” Tim says he has appealed to the Malaysian authorities, hoping that they do not make an example of the naked woman on the mountain after the tragic earthquake.
Minister Manjun tweeted out this morning that legal proceedings have begun against the four alleged “strippers on Mount Kinabalu.” According to The Guardian , if Eleanor Hawkins is found guilty, she could face three months in prison or a fine, or both.
[Image via Wikipedia ]