A British woman arrested for allegedly posing naked on a Malaysian mountain is appearing in court Friday, her father said.
Eleanor Hawkins was among a group of tourists who stripped naked on May 30 at the summit of Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia’s Bernama news agency reported.
“She’s in court as we speak, and I’m just waiting for the consul to get back to me with the result,” Timothy Hawkins said Friday from his office in Derby, UK.
Local residents said their behavior caused the Kota Kinabalu quake this month, which killed 16 people.
The indigenous people of Sabah believe the tourists’ behavior disrespected local culture and angered the spirit of the mountain, causing the earthquake, Bernama reported. The mountain is considered sacred in Malaysia.
Hawkins was among backpackers from several countries — including Canada and the Netherlands — who were arrested after stripping naked and posing for photos on the mountain.
She was arrested at Tawau Airport this week as she was about to leave for the capital of Kuala Lumpur.
The other three turned themselves in. If convicted, they face up to three months in prison or a fine.
Naked tourism
It’s not the first time tourists have made headlines for stripping off their clothes at tourist attractions.
Cambodia deported two U.S. tourists for allegedly taking nude pictures at Angkor Archaeological Park after a string of nudity-related incidents hit the religious sites early this year.
At least eight tourists were detained last year in separate incidents for getting naked and posing for photos in Machu Picchu, the 15th-century Inca citadel in Peru last year.