VIDEO: Detained Sask. siblings appear in Malaysian court

Two siblings from Saskatchewan and a Dutch male surrendered themselves at a police station in Sabah on Tuesday evening. A British woman was detained at a Sabah airport earlier Tuesday while trying to fly to Kuala Lumpur.

They are being held in remand until Saturday.

If they are found guilty the tourists could get up to three months in jail, according to Malaysian authorities. Some have asked that they be charged under Native Court.

Lindsey Petersen, an engineering graduate from the University of Regina, has detailed his travels throughout Asia over the last seven months on Facebook. When his sister joined him in Bali in April, he referred to them as the “dynamic duo.”

The pair were believed to be part of a group of 10 people who stripped naked before taking photos at Mount Kinabalu on May 30.

Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan has blamed the tragedy on the foreigners for showing “disrespect to the sacred mountain” by posing naked at the peak. He has said a special ritual will be conducted to “appease the mountain spirit.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday that it was assisting two Canadians barred from leaving Malaysia.

Travelers need to respect customs says Saskatoon travel agent

Before a traveller ends up in a custom line to enter another country they should do their research, according to a Saskatoon travel agent.

Managing partner of UNIGLOBE Carefree Travel Jamie Angus Milton explained it’s important to understand passport and visa requirements but also customs.

“(Go) through local laws and restrictions, even things as simple as are their dress codes because some countries like to have women cover their shoulders, cover their knees, or entering churches or religious places sometimes things like that are neccessary ,” she said.

“The more information you travel with the better.”

Saskatchewan siblings are in a lock-up in Malaysia charged for an obscene act in a public place after allegedly stripping naked before taking photos on a sacred mountain peak just days before a deadly earthquake killed 18 climbers.

“Believe It or Not, DO NOT SHOUT, SCREAM or CURSE the mountain at any point of time,” themountain’s website said.

The risk management section of the website also states “there will be elements of uncertainty as we are visiting places where the political, cultural and geographical attributes present certain risks, dangers and physical challenges greater than those present in our daily lives. “

Milton said to avoid cultural issues it’s important to talk with travel agents, who often have personal experience in the country. Agents often have access to special websites with advisories about political and cultural climates, but travellers do have a responsibility to look into where they are headed. She suggested spending some time online researching and buying a guidebook.

“They may have some good maps or information to have you more prepared when you arrive somewhere because it can be overwhelming especially if you are going to a country with a different religious belief system then what we are used to or a different language,” she said.

“Make sure that you are acting and behaving and travelling in a way that’s appropriate for what the local people are expecting from us when we are there.”

It’s also important to recognize that Canadians abroad are only visitors, she said.

“They’ve had their religious beliefs, their laws, and their customs for a very long time and we are just their for a short period visiting so we need to adapt to them and not the other way around,” she said. “That’s just a way to be a good traveler and a good representative of our own country.”

As for stripping down, Milton said it’s always the safest bet to keep your clothes on.

– With files from the Canadian Press

news@panow.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow

by Karin Yeske

VIDEO: Detained Sask. siblings appear in Malaysian court

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