Sabah Quake: 8 pupils, 2 teachers from Tanjong Katong Primary School are missing

[sundaymorningstaple]

Probably not. Also, I don't know about Sabah, but Sawarak Iban Dayaks weren't fully dressed as late as the 1950's.

[JR8]

Many Borneans believe that Aki Nabalu (the deity who ruled the mountain) was stirred to anger by the recent nude stunts pulled by a bunch of foreigners (photos got circulated in the Internet for the last two months), and hence the earthquake. Whether you believe in mythology or not (and whether this earthquake is a divine act of rage), it is always wise to respect the locals' and their culture.

Were they aware?

Does it matter; let's blame it on the foreigners anyway

[sundaymorningstaple]

Here I always thought that SPGs were cultural as well.

[ecureilx]

Were they aware?

Well, I do agree with you it is was not told, do all you want to do, including taking naked photos, never mind what the natives think ..

Does it matter; let's blame it on the foreigners anyway

If only they didn't have common sense .. and knew you don't do stuff that locals don't like.. for example do naked sun bathing and then cry wolf ..

like the case of a British lady who landed with a T Shirt printed with Lord Buddha in a Suggestive way, was arrested and deported, and who wanted to sue the said country police and all for taking it out on the foreigner.

Now where does it say each country must publish a list of dos and don'ts, including 'Don't offend the native beliefs, Don't offend their locals religious beliefs .. "

[nakatago]

Now where does it say each country must publish a list of dos and don'ts, including 'Don't offend the native beliefs, Don't offend their locals religious beliefs .. "

It's called not being a dick/jackass.

Everyone should have learned it when growing up.

[x9200]

I've just read in the Telegraph they were told by their guide not to do it and they called him stupid.
Anyway, what's going on at this moment is like a witch hunt. Funny enough, what I understand, the charges are not related to some religion-like offences but simply "indecent behaviour". Apparently a scapegoat is needed to address all the fears.

[JR8]

Now where does it say each country must publish a list of dos and don'ts, including 'Don't offend the native beliefs, Don't offend their locals religious beliefs .. "

It's called not being a dick/jackass. Everyone should have learned it when growing up.

Yeah I mean just look at the gnarly expats staggering off home from Boat Quay at 2am/+
My feeling is most people behave maturely most of the time. We probably all have our 'occasional moments' when we momentarily stray from that, that's life. [Example: Consider how many foreign visitors get into trouble after visiting their first 'smokers cafe' in Amsterdam]. But we didn't get here by being a bunch of natural-born-jerks.
I'm all for respecting local customs, however we are all human (ref: para 1). BTW I'm not saying that as if it is license to occasionally go and do what the hell you like. What I have difficulty with is associating a state of dress/undress with God's and an earthquake.
I mean for example, if you wear a T-shirt in Thailand with an image of Buddha on it, it's wrong, it's insensitive, and it's the kind of thing that's hopefully taboo enough that most people know not to do it. But if I were a tourist and didn't know about it, and on Day2 went dressed thus to Wat Phra Kaew, is one of the statues going to topple over on me and kill me as a result?

[the lynx]

I didn't say that I strongly opine that the earthquake is a direct result from the nude photos. But the behaviour of those rude tourists are definitely NOT helping the situation. Reason all you want with the locals, they would still want to demand 10 buffaloes from each offending tourist to be sacrificed to appease the gods (the buffaloes part is from my local friend*).

*Reminds me of Old Testament where one needs to sacrifice a speck-less and defect-less lamb as sin offering.

[TMD]

MOE has yet to announce any ban on future excursion by students to known disaster prone region. Hell, tell me where do we find places that are risk free ?

Play the stair climb on IPad at home ??
oh, that can go wrong, if the IPad overheats and burns the skin ..

well, there is still risk of damaging one's eyesight even if the ipad worked as advertised.

The point I was making is far from playing "nanny", it is clear Singapore government places great emphasis on activities beyond the class room.

I can only assume those surviving students (and teachers) had gone thru a terrible life-changing experience. Whether they come out this tragedy stronger, more mature or suffer PTSD, is another matter.

[TMD]

I've just read in the Telegraph they were told by their guide not to do it and they called him stupid.
Anyway, what's going on at this moment is like a witch hunt. Funny enough, what I understand, the charges are not related to some religion-like offences but simply "indecent behaviour". Apparently a scapegoat is needed to address all the fears.

Whatever happen to "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" ?

nudist or not, that lack of common sense is the root cause of why come some travelers keep getting into trouble wherever they go.

[ecureilx]

Whatever happen to "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" ?.

What about teaching the backward, outdated, antique, uncivilised Head hunting tribals some civilization ?? (and that was purely in Jest .. )

Meanwhile the UK Sun has the following news line

Your boobs have angered mountain gods

EXCLUSIVE: Brit girl jailed after strip ‘causes killer earthquake’

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol ... quake.html

and

[JR8]

You're quoting from The Sun
Home of kwality reporting! One irony is that paper is famed for each day having a full-page topless picture of a young and hopeful glamour model, a 'Page-3 girl' as they are known.

The Daily Star is perhaps even further down in the gutter... it's front page headline read...
'Naked Brit girl caused killer quake' - That's right next to a pretty nubile model posing in her lingerie.

Meanwhile over at the Daily Mirror, there's the front page headline 'Nude student faces jail for 'causing deadly earthquake'' - underneath a pic of some bimbo with her tits as near as matters out.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-the-papers-33089689

It's a funny old world

[x9200]

I've just read in the Telegraph they were told by their guide not to do it and they called him stupid.
Anyway, what's going on at this moment is like a witch hunt. Funny enough, what I understand, the charges are not related to some religion-like offences but simply "indecent behaviour". Apparently a scapegoat is needed to address all the fears.

Whatever happen to "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" ?

nudist or not, that lack of common sense is the root cause of why come some travelers keep getting into trouble wherever they go.

This, I think, where everybody more-less universally agrees. The point however is, that the authorities are acting like they were trying to please the allegedly offended gods or at least offended crowds offering the tourists' punishment to calm down their anger. If no earthquake happened would they care at all?

[the lynx]

Yes.

Since May, the locals (the Dusun-Kadazans to be specific) have been petitioning to have action taken against them. Action has been, not surprisingly, slow.

Their only saving grace was that the tourists remained to travel to the rest of the Borneo. Had they left the country before the earthquake, they would have escaped the intensified anger that would be amplified by the earthquake, injuries and deaths (deaths of schoolchildren definitely drive the impact).

Whether punishing them would be logical or not, it is a separate topic. They are, after all, a bunch of idiots, pissing off wrong bunch of locals at wrong place and wrong time. The pack leader Emil Whatever was already notorious for mooning for photos all over the world for kicks.

Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk

[thismyvoice]

I thought the thinner air closer to the summit of the moutain makes it impossible for any helicopter to reach safely.

The 9k+ feet is not that high to effect a mountain rescue with the Malaysian Squirrels which excel in high altitude (yes, they do have Squirrels, AS350 and 355.,) but pilots need training, the rescue crew need training and the ground crew need training, or there maybe another disaster. Or a few victims may be sent flying literally.

I suspect nobody trained enough for a mountain rescue, so the 30 million $ was an expensive air taxi.

Everest Base camp is at 17k feet, and rescue does happen at EBC, by experienced pilots.

Now that you mention, Malaysia does have a bit of history regarding their equipment ... military equipment, that is. For those interested, google about submarine that cannot dive, scorpion tanks, etc. Not saying this is the case here, but mmmm.