Respect sacredness and spirits of Mount Kinabalu: Pairin

KUNDASANG: Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan has issued a stern warning to individuals, including foreigners, to prioritise ethics when climbing Mount Kinabalu.
He stressed that climbers should respect the sacredness and spirits of the the mountain.
"Climbing the mountain should be something enjoyable and no one should do anything against our culture.
"Each individual may have his or her own belief and views but Mount Kinabalu is a sacred place for the people of Sabah," he told a press conference at Kinabalu Park Operations Centre here today.
A moderate 5.9 magnitude earthquake shook Ranau at 7.15am yesterday, with the death toll currently standing at 11 following the discovery of nine more bodies today at Mount Kinabalu. Two bodies were brought down last night.
Some quarters claimed that the earthquake was caused by the act of a group of foreign tourists who stripped naked on the peak of Mount Kinabalu recently.
Pairin said: "We will hold a ceremony to appease the spirits of the mountain. However the climbers must reciprocate by not doing anything uncivilised.
Meanwhile, Ranau police chief DSP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said the police would continue to hunt down the individuals.
"If they were still in Sabah, we will hunt them down until we catch them," he said. – Bernama