ELSON: 9 more Singaporeans are still missing and feared dead.
Amongst them, 6 children, 2 teachers, and 1 climbing instructor.
We mourn.
But even as Singapore welcomes home survivors, questions are mounting over the choice of destination for a leadership course comprising 12-year-olds.
Could the Mount Kinabalu tragedy have been expected?
What were children doing on a mountain?
Where were the safety measures to ensure that our children had a fighting chance in the event of any disaster?
This is a tragedy that could have been avoided, and such a wasteful loss of life would not have occurred with some plain and simple due diligence on the part of planners.
Here’s why.
Why were Kids Scaling the More Dangerous Path in Mount Kinabalu?
There’s 2 ways to scaling Mount Kinabalu – you can take the walking path, which has shelters along the way.
It’s still a long trek to the top, but the path is carved into the mountain, and it’s simple to climb.
The other way is what’s known as the “via ferrata” way – where climbers scale metal rungs punched into Mount Kinabalu’s cliffs, and cross rope bridges across the vast rock formations below.
The schoolchildren took the “via ferrata” way, which you see in the pictures here.
When you read reports saying how people watched helplessly as others were crushed to death by rocks, that’s because there is no way to take cover.
You’re stuck on a cliff, your life literally hanging by a rope.
State media has said that it’s a “relatively easy” way to climb Mount Kinabalu.
Sure, according to for-profit travel companies which sell tour packages.
They even recommend this “via ferrata” route for 10-year-olds.
Was the Mount Kinabalu Trip Done on a Whim and Fancy?
Earthquakes have erupted at Mount Kinabalu every year for at least the past 10 years.
Why then, was this mountain chosen as the destination for a leadership expedition?
For the experience? Sure.
But surely, 12-year-olds need not take on the tougher climb on a mountain in region very prone to earthquakes (yes, one earthquake every year for at leas the past 10 years, just to hammer the point in).
Would parents be willing to send their children for such a trip, knowing with this knowledge?
Checking up on Mount Kinabalu is easy nowadays, with the availability of information on the internet.
There’s an element of risk in every activity.
But were there no checks done to ensure that our children were not exposed to undue risk, in the name of a “leadership expedition” that would look good for some decision-maker’s KPIs?
Inexperienced and Few Teachers Who Need Babying Too?
Sending 29 students to scale a mountain’s cliffs, accompanied by 8 teachers?
That’s about a 1 teacher to 4 students ratio.
And that’s teachers who do not have experience in scaling mountains, whom climbing guides have to take care of as well.
No one is rapping the teachers for their courage.
Rather it’s the foolhardiness of believing that such amateur leadership should be given the green-light.
For those who have kids of their own and who have brought that to a shopping mall, the whole idea already sounds like a recipe for trouble.
In Sum
What does climbing a mountain do for leadership skills?
It could teach 12-year-olds resilience and adaptability, and give them more self-confidence to face daunting challenges.
Is there no other activity suitable to teach such values than sending children with amateur leaders to an earthquake-prone area where they are made to perform the more dangerous option of scaling a cliff with little safeguards?
The loss of childrens’ life stings.
But what stings more – a wasteful loss of life that could have been avoided with some due diligence in planning.
This Mount Kinabalu tragedy could have been avoided.
This commentary was written by Elson.
Send us your commentaries at mail@redwiretimes.com
(Ed’s note: An educator has hit back at this contributing writer’s commentary on possible organiser negligence. He says that dedicated teachers devoted their time so their students could have an enriching experience. Some of them even lost their lives. We shouldn’t be too quick to condemn them for an unexpected disaster.
We have published both commentaries, in the spirit of discussion and to offer readers a range of Singaporean perspectives on Singapore issues, as is our motto.)
georgia
June 7, 2015 at 2:09 pm
the via ferrata way is the pathway route which the children took. I have climbed mount Kinabalu, I’m guessing you haven’t since you’re unaware of this. before you throw the blame at people make sure you know the facts.
Redwire Singapore
June 7, 2015 at 2:21 pm
exactly, as mentioned in article.
suryani dewi
June 7, 2015 at 10:22 pm
hi! then after u ever climb there.. do u think for primary is it suitable? thanks
Simon Tay
June 7, 2015 at 3:15 pm
The writer obviously do not know what he/she is writing about. I have climbed Mt K twice and I have no idea what is he/she talking about!
suryani dewi
June 7, 2015 at 10:20 pm
hi! then very Good that u climb 2 times… then u know very well is it primary suitable to climb there? curious with the expert…
Leslie Tan
June 8, 2015 at 11:27 am
The path they have chosen are suitable for people 10 years and above. TEN YEARS AND ABOVE!
Anna purna
June 8, 2015 at 11:36 am
Hi I am no expert. Only done the climb twice. One is the summit route and one is via ferrata. Adult climbers usually take 2 days 1 night to go up to summit and come down. At first I was also stunned at the news of 12yo climbing Mount K. But upon seeing that these kids itinerary is 4 days, unlike ours, then that is definitelt doable for them! As they get lots of rest in between. It’s easy for 12yo fit and active kids to be walking up steps. The whole trail is made of man-made stairs FYI. As for via ferrata, the angle of the pictures look as if the climbers are vertically down which is not the case. These photos are taken by mountain guides who before we embark will offer to be our camera men and take photos at strategic angles so that it appears as if we are climbing down vertically. But truth is it was a gentle slope only. I didnt have to rock climb anything. It’s just like walking albeit at a slanted angle. I can only remember 1 or 2 sections where it’s about a 2m vertical cliff and there are many rungs for us to step onto while we go down. Hope this info helps.
Mr A
June 7, 2015 at 4:15 pm
my 39 yr old daughter went there two weeks before the quake, she said she would not approve if any of her kids would want to take the expedition, the question is what was the information given to parents that has made them approved their kids for this expedition ?
Leslie
June 8, 2015 at 9:10 am
Its fine if u want to protect your child and make them to be ignorant idiots like you but you should think twice before commenting rubbish like this.
For all sch events, esp overseas ones
KC
June 8, 2015 at 5:03 pm
My friend was the adventure guide who passed away. He like any other instructors would have done their research. My friend kept asking for people’s opinions to ensure the best outcome for the programme. The route is save for kids 10years up. I myself have taken kids up there. If a kid as young as 12 can get a college cert what makes you think a kid of 12 years cannot scale that mountain?
ed
June 7, 2015 at 5:18 pm
Stay at home safest.
sure?
June 8, 2015 at 12:16 pm
staying home is not enough. one should stay on the bed like a vegetable, since there is hazard everywhere at home, i.e. kitchen with the knives and stove(fire); toilet with wet floor; living room with windows, all of which can cause serious injuries and even death.
billy
June 8, 2015 at 1:52 pm
If fall from bed also can die (freak accident). These people better kill themselves first before they get killed by something else.
Joe
June 7, 2015 at 5:19 pm
The whole incident was an unfortunate act of nature. Who can predict earthquakes? Who knows the extreme nature or fury of natural disasters? No one can prevent nature from unleashing it’s fury. Stop blaming others!! If you got nothing good to say, SHUT THE FXXK UP!
Let’s just pray for everyone there.
SK
June 7, 2015 at 6:01 pm
The writer is just trying to find somebody to take the blame. He knows nothing about sports and adventure and must be someone that cannot appreciate the beauty of nature.
Don
June 7, 2015 at 8:11 pm
Absolutely agree with you.
AKBA
June 8, 2015 at 9:41 am
Writer is just a keyboard warrior! Nothing physical except typing out comments against all systems. Like a vulture waiting to pounce! Also probably one who has had problems with the education service? Teachers are dead together with the kids. You think that people never do all the research work before doing such things! Schools have brought kids up Mt K for like ages! A lot of prep and training must be done before they go up! You blame the ones who planned the trip? Including the ones who died? How painfully insensitive you are! God Bless You.
God.
June 7, 2015 at 6:59 pm
If people could foresee my natural disasters, I will take them in by my side.
Zul
June 7, 2015 at 7:43 pm
I forsee the Writer’s child(ren) staying home all day and not indulge in any form of activites.
Parents hv option to choose in letting their child participate.
And today’s parent arent ignorants. They google to find out more.
Today’s school isn’t a ‘close’ education. They have sessions with parents.
Writer obviously does’t know anything.
Wilson
June 8, 2015 at 9:34 am
Probably his kids coop up at home on iPad or smart phones. Safest?
Leslie
June 8, 2015 at 11:29 am
What if they drown while taking a bath? What if they walk to the bedroom, and slipped and fall?
Anna purna
June 7, 2015 at 7:48 pm
Elson gave a great point..
“Could the Mount Kinabalu tragedy have been expected?”
If yes, we wouldn’t be having this conversation would we?
I also don’t know what the heck is Elson talking about.
Jackie
June 7, 2015 at 7:49 pm
there is fatal traffic accident almost every day, does that stop people from leaving home ?
Angry
June 7, 2015 at 8:03 pm
Writer is a typical keyboard warrior. Heaping blame on everyone when he is in no position to do so.
I will take back my last statement IF he can prove that he knows any of the victims on a personal level. I highly doubt so.
Sure, there are risks involved in such expeditions. But so is taking the bus to school. Should we stay indoors and not take part in ANY outdoor activities since Singapore has one of the highest rate of lightning strikes in the world?
As much as I mourn the loss of so many young lives, I cannot bring myself to blame anyone for it. It’s a natural disaster, NOBODY could predict that.
If the authorities really take up this preposterous idea of cancelling such trips, then we would be bringing up a generation of risk-adverse Singaporeans with no tenacity, no appetite for risks. That would be a sad day.
Flameout
June 7, 2015 at 8:19 pm
Writer, you just want to stir shit right? What careless leadership are you talking about? This expedition has been ongoing for years by the school and nothing has happened before. If they could foresee what’s going to happen of course nobody will plan this right? But this incident, nobody wished for it to happen. And for a useless person like you, I doubt you can even achieve anything, besides blaming the circumstances around you.
Axle
June 7, 2015 at 8:20 pm
In a situation as such, instead of feeling sorry for the losses, is the writer of this article, Elson, trying to make use of this tragedy to induce anger and hate towards the organizing team?
Rather than putting your points across in a constructive manner, you seem to choose to direct readers to focus on blaming the organizers.
Is this your attempt to instigate some kind of a rebel? Is this your attempt to brainwash people to rise up against anyone or any organization who has some form of authority or affiliation?
Making use of this tragedy to stir shit? If you are, then you are sick and revolting. Such thinking and actions are narrow minded, insensitive and selfish.
If you didn’t mean any of the above, then you should really learn to write articles objectively, tactfully and place a lot of thought on the sensitivity of the issue.
WL
June 7, 2015 at 8:21 pm
The point is that 12 is a rather tender age to be put through climbing Mount Kinabalu. I have climbed it before and I thought it was quite demanding even on the traditional route (the Via ferrata was not available then). The long climb to the rest house can be quite demanding. Thankfully there are sheltered stops. Having to wake up as early as 2am to be ready to take off can also be tough too. For some, there is the attitude sickness which they may not realize they have. You may brush it off as a headache for waking up too early but it does add on to the difficulty.
WJ
June 8, 2015 at 9:40 am
The whole point is that the via ferrata route is easier than the traditional one…
Nanaziq
June 8, 2015 at 11:38 am
Did you train before such expedition? If you don’t thats explains your comment…
Disgusted
June 7, 2015 at 8:30 pm
Disgusted by your conduct, ethics and behaviour.
mercury divergent
June 7, 2015 at 9:06 pm
OK.. so for those with kids — who’s going to sign up their 12 year olds for the next expedition?? Hands up.. any takers?
mercury divergent
June 7, 2015 at 9:08 pm
OK.. here’s a question for those with 12 year old kids — are you going to sign them up for the next Mt Kinabalu expedition?
P
June 7, 2015 at 9:31 pm
Is the article really necessary at this point of time? Is it comforting? Is it supportive? No! What are you trying to get out of all this? To make sure that the teachers and staff feel bad about this whole tragedy? They are hurting more than you can possibly imagine. So just do us all a favor and have the decency to keep your “wise” opinions to yourself for now.
Anonymous
June 7, 2015 at 9:32 pm
Just shut the flying fuck up, writer. Just because you dont allow your kids (if you have any) the chance to explore the world doesnt mean other kids should suffer like yours too.
Education isnt just about books and school, its about the world outside too. The tragedy was due to an earthquake, not because of the dangerous route taken or parents not doing research about the location on the net. Heck, even the google cant predict when an earthquake is about to happen. Walk the talk dude. Quit complaining and do the teacher’s job.
Sara
June 7, 2015 at 10:04 pm
Writer, u r a keyboard warrior, shut up
What are you trying to do?
June 7, 2015 at 10:06 pm
Come to live in Japan and you will know how safe Mount Kinabalu is comparatively speaking. With it’s track level of success, how could one would think such incident will happen? If one can predict (when will incident occur), is it still “incident”?
amdani
June 7, 2015 at 10:35 pm
TKPS have been doing the trip since 2004. I’ve been to Kinabalu for 7 times. Please do your research before making any comments. You wouldn’t even survive if the boulders fall on your head. Get your facts right.
Zero
June 7, 2015 at 11:55 pm
You don’t know what you’re talking about and you say this kinda things about the instructor. You think mother nature wanna say to you that an earthquake is gonna happen. Get a life. Maybe you should be the one there and not them.
Fong Yan Kin
June 8, 2015 at 1:10 am
Its obvious that the writer is ignorant and didnt climb mt kinabalu before…the stairs doesn’t go all the way to the summit like what he claimed…only to around where the hotel is situated…from there on its the rocky areas…no covered walk-ways to the top as claimed by the writer…either the route with all the ropes and aids embedded which the students took…or the virgin ones which the professional climbers will take to challenge themselves.
The figures of earthquake he has shown were all below richter scale of 5…I have experienced a scale 5 earthquake myself in Japan no lives were lost..it was liken to disturbance felt being in a boat with another speed boat passed by…scale 6…releases 10x the energy.
Before each trip risk assessment is mandatory and done way in advance there are lots of pages which cover as much ground as possible…but nothing could have cover major earthquake…
If the quake happened earlier, the climb could be called off just like those who were not well would not be allowed to climb further.
Raaz
June 8, 2015 at 3:48 am
I’m a outdoor trainer, an acquaintance of Muhammad Daanish a fellow trainer who lost his life there.
If you aren’t an outdoor trainer, you will know how much these kids life are spoilt by technologies. I see it myself these bunch of kids doing jungle trekking, waterfall trekking, mountain climbing or even kayaking island to island. These activities enchance their personal, social, leadership skills. It taught them a lot about SEL values (social emotional learning) and more character building.
Before you start acting smart and being such a pathetic keyboard warrior get your facts right. MOE standard for an outdoor activities are 1 teacher : 10 students. As for these expedition, there are teschers, singapore outdoor trainers and fellow local guides went up with the kids. Each has their roles but one common role is each other safety.
Nobody wants this to happen but it did. Every lifes are precious not only the 12years old students. The teachers, the local guides and our ourdoor trainer from Singapore have family and friends too. And their lifes are equally precious.
Get out from your four walls and start experiencing some outdoor activities. You need some character building and maybe some social and self awareness skills to be enchance further.
Chang
June 8, 2015 at 7:26 am
Elson, practice freedom of speech with sensitivity and empathy mades you a better person. Cheers
Alissa
June 8, 2015 at 8:35 am
It is obvious that the writer is ignorant. The via ferrata route was specially designed for kids aged 10 and above. And metal grips were mounted for children to ascend. Children were also provided safety harness and helmets. Are school children the sole casualties? No? Teachers too died…should parents be blamed for allowing their kids on the trip? No! What happened was merely an unfortunate event which no one hoped for it. The writer is just a keyboard warrior who seek to diminish the teachers’ efforts and sacrifices with this discriminating article. Readers please make sound judgement when reading such articles. Let us all just mourn for the passed victims and pray for the safety of the missing.
EC
June 8, 2015 at 8:45 am
Young lives were lost because of the earthquake. Not because the trek was too treacherous.
I pity your children if any.
What an idiot you are
June 8, 2015 at 8:53 am
Climb mt KK, have earth quake
Take airplane, have air crash
Take ferry, also sink
drive, got car accident
walk on the road, also get hit by car
walk under building, get hit by falling object
eat, get food poisoning and die
dont eat, die of hunger
pregnant, miscarriage
Ultimately, who caused all this problems? Might as well say your mother for giving birth to you. Eh.. come on la.. What is wrong with you!
Jess
June 8, 2015 at 8:59 am
To be honest, family members are mourning for their lost and not forgetting the anticipation. Lives lost are not only the kids but teachers. One can decide to allow or disallow their child to go. One can be crossing the road carelessly and die due to “lost to careless leadership” of parents for not teaching road safety. My 2 cents worth.
Vinxe
June 8, 2015 at 9:24 am
This is so stipid of u to be critical of things u seem to have never experienced. Are you a air head writing negative stuff just to draw attention? What have you done in your miserable life that you have lead anyone but your dog to do his daily poo? Crab article and brainless writer.
cikgu minah
June 8, 2015 at 9:39 am
It is easy for u to sit on ur chair comfortably typing away starting this blaming game.
KT
June 8, 2015 at 9:43 am
Seriously he dunno what he is talking about… I have been to Mt KK and the via Ferrata route is not the so called route up the mountain. It is the extra additional add on activity that one can partake if they wish to on the way down the summit or if they plan 1 more day just to do the via Ferrata route from Labuan rata…
If weather conditions don’t permit or u miss the cut off timing in the morning (which happened to me), they stopped you from trying that route.
Do more research 1st before you type! Climbers to the summit always take that same old route…
Why blame the system when this is a natural disaster? No one wants such an incident to happen. Though I dunno the parents who lost their child, as a new parent, I can understand their anguish and loss, but does that mean you wan to shelter ur child from all sorts of outdoor activities? What happened to adventure and learning? In that case, the writer will never leave the house with his children since anything might happen such as a car accident, getting stab by a random person etc…
I pity his mentality and children.
Winnie
June 8, 2015 at 10:20 am
There’s 2 ways to scaling Mount Kinabalu – you can take the walking path, which has shelters along the way.
It’s still a long trek to the top, but the path is carved into the mountain, and it’s simple to climb.
The other way is what’s known as the “via ferrata” way – where climbers scale metal rungs punched into Mount Kinabalu’s cliffs, and cross rope bridges across the vast rock formations below.
——
First of all, via ferrata route is a descent route to Laban rata. The climber will have to use the usual route to reach Low’s peak and descent to 3520m for the ferrata route to Laban rata. You can’t reach the peak with ferrata route just like the writer claimed! Honestly, via ferrata is safer than usual route if u follow instructions because u r hooked onto harness unlike the usual route which depends on your bare strength holding onto rope with no harness.
If u want to slam at least do your research and come up with a better argument. Spreading wrong information especially to those that just reads and trust everything they read is bad journalism. The kids that went to this expeditions are all student and sports leaders. They went through training. This is a natural disaster. Everything has a risk and kid or adult, they have the same risk. You signed the indemnity form before u do all these things. Don’t blame the school for having good intention for the students.
Joseph Sim
June 8, 2015 at 10:24 am
I think you should be more considerate and compassion to those who had lost their loved ones. Pouring out one sided comments only fan their senses of “guilt”. You are not helping those parents but harming them. Are you not feeling cruel towards them? I have only a son and if there would be a chance like this, I want him to go. This is just an event that no one expects to take place. Even if there would be an earthquake in Singapore, do you think there would be no casualties in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Please be considerate and kind. My son is also the same age as those students who perished.
Nicole
June 8, 2015 at 10:31 am
This article is unnecessary at this point of time.
Everything has its risk.
Would you have said otherwise if there wasn’t an Earthquake and they made it safely? You’re merely rubbing salt on wound.
Parent
June 8, 2015 at 11:07 am
The article is absolute rubbish. The writer sounds be ashamed of putting up such nonsense which also belittles parents of children that have gone on similar trips. Which basically include all Singapore parents. And the hard work and dedication of teachers that work hard and professionally to bear the responsibility of caring for the students on these trips.
Pat
June 8, 2015 at 12:47 pm
Instructors who needs to babysit teachers too? wasnt it in the news that 7 out of the 8 teachers are very experienced climbers??
padma
June 8, 2015 at 1:09 pm
to blame the teachers for accidents from an earthquake is the most illogical and disgusting statements made by totally irresponsible people ….it is bad enough to be judgemental, and then to point fingers is totally abhorent…..please go get yourselves a life….Cast ye the first stone, ye who have never sinned….!!!
Koh
June 8, 2015 at 2:13 pm
Dear writer, how much of the following do you know before you write this article?
– Teachers have to go through tedious admin work before the learning journey can take place?
Tedious financial processes, selection of vendor (ensure that the program suits the objective of trip and the vendors have a good track record), Risk Management Processes (RAMs)(Do you know how thick this document is???), promotion of the event to students, selection of students (conduct interview when necessary), providing information to parents, collection of passports (checking for validity and requirement of VISAs for certain nationality), providing information to MFA, pre-trip preparation for students, issuing and collecting consent forms, post-trip review. Do you know how many man hours is spent doing this?
– Teachers do not enjoy these trips.
Contrary to what some armchair critics are saying about teachers taking these overseas trips as a ‘paid holiday’, teachers do not enjoy themselves at these trips. How to relax when you are responsible for the safety, well being and enjoyment of the students who are all precious darlings of their parents. Looking after your children is one thing, having to look after other people’s children is another. How enjoyable can it be when you have to constantly ensure that students cross the road safety, lock their hotel doors, sleep in their own rooms, follow lights-out timing (which is almost impossible), follow safety precautions, are warm/cool enough, drink enough water, follow the group closely, do not quarrel among themselves, be sensitive to locals, learn from teachable moments etc etc…..
– Teachers sacrifice their holiday and family time when they go on such overseas trip. Many leave their young kids in Singapore so that they could fulfill their duty of providing their students with a meaningful education experience. We do not take the safety of the students lightly, NEVER!
– Students learn much more when they are out of the classrooms. Check out any educational website and they will tell you the benefits of experiential learning. Constantly challenging the students helps them to see their own potential. Always working within the safe comfort zone for fear of risk will only produce more strawberry generations. As long as there is detailed planning, possible risks are assessed and managed and teachers are vigilant, outdoor activities can be safe.
It deeply saddens me when people who do not know how these trips are organised point fingers at schools and teachers when things go wrong. It is demoralizing for the many teachers who are dedicated and always putting their students first. If you cannot improve the situation, do not make it worse.
To the family of the decreased, may you be strong during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers will be with you always.
The
June 8, 2015 at 3:19 pm
The article is wrong. Both Walk the Torq Route and Low Peak Circuit are called Via Ferrata. The kids took the easier Walk the Torq Route (for those 10 years old above). The more challenging route is the Low Peak Circuit (only for those 17 years old and above).
Come on, it is a huge earthquake – blame this on leadership? So many school children died crossing the roads or cycling – should we also ban these activities?
http://sunriseodyssey.com/trekking-mount-kk-via-ferrata
lau geok theng
June 8, 2015 at 3:47 pm
Why didn’t this writer state his or her full name and background?
Fong Yan Kin
June 8, 2015 at 7:36 pm
I think the writer is misguided by tourism materials…as mentioned, the itenary is different from the usual 2 days or the more challenging 1 day climb…meant for adults…the pupils didnt take the via ferrata way at all…they just took the via ferrata ‘walk the torque’ experience that bring them slightly downhill instead of going up all the way to the summit…its similar to what most P5 Pupils would have gone through locally in adventure camps..’high-elements’ obstacles in labrador park campsite…except its in an authentic location..
According to itenary, their ascent to the summit is the traditional route…not the ferrata route…the ferrata experience for climbers to get a taste of it..
Loveall
June 9, 2015 at 7:19 am
There are so many families of students and teachers that are grieving right now. Even the whole Singapore is grieving. The best that this writer can do is not to write anything at all. Notthing is appreciated at this kind of writing at this very difficult time for all.
Maria Lim
June 9, 2015 at 10:42 am
This mountain climbing trail is a popular holiday destination for families with children above 10. The students chosen to go on this trip are SPORTS LEADERS who have received adequate training and all. And considering how they are sports leaders who probably excel well in their sports cca they are probably as fit as the average 14 year old, or even fitter. It was just unfortunate that such an event had to occur to this particular group of young children.
Stop writing all these stupid articles saying how their deaths could be avoided. There is zero objective to your writing.
1. Do you think all overseas school trips will be cancelled after this article by MoE?
2. Do you think teachers have not already taken maximum risk assessment and safety precautions whenever they go on overseas trips?
3. Do you think your article consoles the families of these young children?
So I appeal to everyone to please be more sensitive to the families.
zack25
June 9, 2015 at 11:21 am
Hey Pussy, why not u rot in bed?? We dont need your negative story here.. oh ya.. people also die when eating and when they are asleep.. so u and your family dont eat and sleep ok?? Just rot away.. stop blaming.. its natural disaster.. if u want, u go blame god for this idiot!
Anonymous
June 9, 2015 at 4:40 pm
I have also climbed Mt Kinabalu last December with my husband and was actually thinking of bringing our four kids aged 5-14 this June actually. The route is actually very safe even for young kids cos the slope is gradual except for 2 or 3 slopes. And climbing this mountain has actually taught me perseverence and has helped me to gain more confidence as I have managed to conquer something which I taught impossible. And this is the best experience we can give our kids. Do bear in mind that even if we bring the kids for excursion to a museum, the whole class can even be dead if an earthquake happens.
CE
June 9, 2015 at 10:44 pm
I’ve climbed the mountain when I was 17. The mountain is completely manageable and I’ve seen kids from other schools coming to climb too.
Truth be said, if this tragedy did not happen, would you even be here commenting bout something that has happened?
It’s like tonight’s 4D first prize was 8888, and you said you should have bought 8888. You can’t change anything. So don’t talk so much as if it’s all cons.
YouRdumb
June 10, 2015 at 6:20 pm
All the retards who slam the writer are brainless… Did you climb the place when you are 12 ? If not , all your crap about its an easy way is mindless rant . In 2014, a German woman fell to her death at the same route … Safe my ass.
Victor
June 11, 2015 at 8:35 am
to the editors of redwire,
You do the surviving teachers, guides and victims no service in writing such an article in the midst of their grief and recovery. It smacks of Insensitivities when the teaching community is affected and in grief. The PE community is a close knit one and rallying to support one of their own who took a lot of initiative and effort to run such programmes in the last seven years. In the west, every school has an outdoor programme yet alone a comprehensive sports programme. We don’t. So your article is energy discouraging to the community at large.
Not one parent of the victim has come out to blame the school, the decease teachers or MOE. (They might later and they might have regrets) but in their grief, there is no public anger. Watch Mr Ho’s video in his anguish and yet composure to thank everyone for the care and support.
Now that Mr Ghazi has been confirmed to have move on to a better place. Your site can honour the fallen, encourage the families knowing fellow Singaporeans left no one behind. For teachers to be so self less, that is to be celebrated first, we review later.
I encourage the editors to review this article and retract and replace with something more appropriate till all the funerals have bee. Completed.