KOTA KINABALU, Oct 29 — State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun urged Sabahans today not to react emotionally to nude photographs purportedly taken by tourists on an island off Semporna.
Masidi pointed out that investigations have yet to determine where the photos were actually taken and when.
“We cannot over-react. We cannot be overzealous to find fault and blame or we might get caught out if it turns out the photos were not taken here. We need to prove that it is in Sabah first,” said Masidi.
“It is a very sensitive issue but I personally think we should look at the whole picture with an open mind,” he added.
Last week, several photos surfaced on social media showing a group of naked men posing in shallow waters on a beach. The photos varied between four and five people, with some including women topless with their backs facing the camera.
Some claimed that the photos were of Chinese tourists taken on Sibuan Island, off Semporna. Police later arrested a 33-year-old chinese tour guide cum dive instructor who was in one of the photos but not in the nude.
He was later released on police bail pending investigations.
Masidi said that the photos had struck a raw nerve in the local community, who were mostly Muslims and that the government was mulling blacklisting misbehaving tourists.
“We may be modern but we still place a lot of importance on our local beliefs and customs. Those who visit us need to respect that,” he said, adding that one of the actions taken is to get travel operators to brief their groups on the do’s and don’ts of the local area and sign a declaration form.
Yesterday, Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman said that police were also considering blacklisting the identified tourists from returning to the state.
Earlier this year, a group of 10 tourists irked locals by stripping naked on Mount Kinabalu, considered a sacred place. On June 12, four of tourists aged between 22 and 24 — of Canadian, Dutch and British nationality — were convicted and sentenced to three days’ jail and fined RM5,000 each.
