Nudists could be charged in cultural court

KOTA KINABALU -  It is only a matter of time before notorious Canadian nudist Emil Kaminski arrives in the clutches of police after four of his accomplices, including two women, were today served with four-day remand orders in the Kota Kinabalu Magistrates Court following their arrests yesterday.

The quartet - two Canadian brothers aged 22 and 23, a Dutch national and a British woman - were detained separately, three surrendered at the Kota Kinabalu District police headquarters and the other was arrested before boarding a flight at the Tawau Airport.

All four were confirmed by Sabah police commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman as suspects in the infamous nude escapade on the summit of Mount Kinabalu on May 30 and were remanded under Section 294 (a) of the penal code for indecent exposure, which can land them a three-month jail sentence, a fine or both.

Jalaluddin also could not ascertain whether requests to try them in a cultural court would be granted.

The nudists have sparked state-wide fury after tribal elders attributed their acts to have angered the spirits of Mount Kinabalu, causing it to unleash a devastating earthquake that left 18 people dead last Friday.

Local animists consider Mount Kinabalu sacred, as the final resting place for spirits of the dead.

Kaminski caused further furore with his derogatory insults of the culture and beliefs of the locals through his postings on Facebook and Twitter.

"With these arrests, we classify this case as solved and we now wait to charge the four in court," said Jalaluddin.

Kaminski, reported to be the 33-year old adventure travel blogger and consultant who headed the group of 10 who allegedly posed nude and urinated in the open on the summit of Mount Kinabalu on May 30, is not among the four currently in police custody.

He is, apart from charges of indecent exposure, allegedly facing further charges for insults on local culture and the people through his social media postings and comments.

Jalaluddin said, another German national who was arrested at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport 2 (KKIA2) on Monday was however released after questioning.

"He was with the group, but he was not involved in their indecent activities. He was also not in the pictures that went viral, so he was released after giving us his statement and information," said Jalaluddin.

Separately, Jalaluddin also called for mountain guides to play a more pro-active role in guarding Mount Kinabalu against such acts by tourists.

"The tourists don't get up there without the guides, so they are there to also stop these types of tourists from committing such acts. When they see such acts committed, they should be the first to report it to the police because they have all the evidence and the details of the tourists through the register," he said.