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A day after the natural disaster, Joseph Pairin Kitingan, Sabah’s deputy chief minister, accused the 10 foreign tourists of causing the quake.
“There is almost certainly a connection,” he said, according to the Malay Mail Online. “We have to take this as a reminder that local beliefs and customs are not to be disrespected.”
“Whether other people believe this or not, it’s what we Sabahans believe. When the earthquake happened, it’s like a confirmation of our beliefs,” he said at a news conference to discuss the rising death toll. “It is a sacred mountain, and you cannot take it lightly.”
Pairin said a special ritual would be conducted to “appease the mountain spirit.” He also said he had a premonition of the disaster when he saw a flight of swallows circling his house. Advertisement
“At first I didn’t think anything of it, but after it went on for more than half an hour I knew something was not well. I brought it up with my wife, and we both agreed that something bad was going to happen,” he said. “The next day, I was on the way to the airport when the earthquake occurred. To me, when something like this happens, it is a clear connection of the incident to the earthquake that has brought about so much damage and loss of lives.”
Pairin and other officials called for the 10 foreign tourists to be identified and prevented from leaving the country without facing consequences.
Half of the tourists had already left Malaysia, it seems. A Canadian brother and sister were identified and stopped from leaving. "