KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — Sabah Tourism Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun today urged Malaysians not to give any attention to the tourist mocking him and the country over last week’s earthquake, saying the man was profiting from the scrutiny.
The minister who was the target of a “troll” video by foreign tourist Emil Kaminski, believed to be one of 10 who stripped on Mount Kinabalu, pointed out that the latter was being paid for the views his videos were receiving.
“Avoid making him famous, he makes money out of our anger,” Masidi wrote on his account, @MasidiM.
Attached to his post was a list of reasons why Malaysians should not watch the video, which included a claim that Kaminski did the same in Brunei two years ago.
“Don’t watch his YouTube videos, because he gets paid for every view. Don’t follow his Twitter because you give him money with every link you click,” read the attached list.
“Just leave him with his monkey friends.”
The post does not specifically name Kaminsky, but the tourist was the one who has twice targeted Masidi over the claim that the antics of tourists stripping on Mount Kinabalu angered the spirits of the mountain and triggered last week’s earthquake there.
In the 12-minute-and-35-second video titled “Trolling Malaysia” on his account “monkeetime”, Kaminski questioned how Masidi could be the state’s tourism, culture and environment minister when he does not understand geology.
The video features advertisements for which Google pays for views.
He previously attacked Masidi on Twitter over the claim, calling the minister an “idiot” and a “dildo”, among others.
When contacted yesterday, Masidi said that Kaminski appeared to be one of the 10 nudists on Mount Kinabalu from his Facebook, but Masidi said he is too civilised to “stoop to his level” and argue with him.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan has blamed Friday’s quake that has resulted in the death of 16 on the “disrespectful and uncivilised” act of 10 Europeans going naked on the mountain top whom he claimed had angered the spirits of Mount Kinabalu.
Authorities said they had identified five of the 10 culprits — two Canadians, two Dutch and a German national.
The act angered many Sabahans and the local Dusun community who consider it a sacred site and believe it to be the final resting place of their ancestors.
