/ 12 January 2006

Malaysian man to attempt snake-kissing record

A Malaysian snake charmer announced on Thursday that he will attempt to kiss a poisonous snake 50 times in 10 minutes in an attempt to break a current world record.

Shahimi Abdul Hamid (33) said he plans to attempt the feat in March this year at the hill resort of Genting Highlands, but said he has not decided which snake he will choose to kiss.

The current record for snake-kissing is held by an American citizen who reportedly kissed the reptile 30 times without a time limit, the official Bernama news agency said.

”I intend to prove that Asians can be champions in this field too,” said Shahimi, the father of a 10-year-old boy.

Malaysia has a penchant for seeking to set sometimes bizarre world records, such as the longest apple strudel and largest national flag, which is longer than a football field.

In 2004, a 27-year-old Malaysian woman endured 17 scorpion bites to set a new world record by spending 36 days in a glass cage with 6 069 of the poisonous arachnids. — Sapa-dpa