Nudist tourists to be kept away from other detainees for safety
- The Malay Mail Online - One of the four tourists being led by the police at the Kota Kinabalu court yesterday. ― Picture by Julia Chan
KOTA KINABALU, June 10 — The four “stripper” tourists who were remanded in court here today will be held in cells separate from other detainees.
Their lawyer, Ronny Cham, said that he wanted to ensure the safety of the tourists, identified as Canadians Lindsey Petersen, 23 and Danielle Peterson, 22, Dutch national Dylan Snel, 23, and Briton Eleanor Hawkins, 24.
Cham confirmed the names of the tourists.
“I’ve asked the magistrate to grant them separate cells to guarantee their safety as they are foreigners, and my request was approved,” he said when contacted by Malay Mail Online.
“The two women and the two men will be held in cells separated from other detainees at the Kota Kinabalu police station,” he said.
The four were ordered to be remanded for four days beginning today by Ranau-based magistrate Dzul Elmy to facilitate investigations into their alleged stripping incident on Mount Kinabalu.
Cham said that he was first contacted by the Canadian embassy last night to oversee legal proceedings of the Petersen siblings in the case that led to him representing all the tourists.
According to Cham, he has been in contact with the parents of the tourists and is waiting for confirmation of his appointment as their legal counsel.
“We were in contact via email as of last night,” he said.
The four, who are not eligible for bail, are being investigated by Ranau district police under Section 294(a) of the Penal code for public indecency.
The offence carries a sentence of up to three months jail or fine or both if convicted.
Earlier today, Sabah police commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman confirmed the arrest of the four, saying police arrested the British woman at the Tawau airport while trying to board a flight while the three others surrendered themselves at the district police station yesterday evening.
A police report lodged by Sabah Parks staff alleged that 10 tourists had stripped and posed naked for photos on Mount Kinabalu’s peak on May 30 and reportedly rebuffed their local guide who tried to stop them, telling him to “go to hell”.
The act has angered natives who believe that the mountain is sacred and carries the spirit of their ancestors.
Deputy chief minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan has since blamed a magnitude 5.9 earthquake which has so far killed at least 18 people on the disrespectful act.
On Monday, one European male was arrested and released when found to not be part of those who stripped.
