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Myanmar jails Dutch man for unplugging religious sermon

The Buddhist temples of Ava are a popular cultural and religious site in Myanmar

Mandalay, where Haytema allegedly committed the offence, is an especially culturally and religiously conservative region.

A court in Myanmar has sentenced a Dutch tourist to prison time for unplugging speakers at a Buddhist service because the noise was keeping him awake. "I saw that children were playing".

"I was really exhausted that night and woke up to the noise", he told the court last week, according to the New York Times. I told them to lower the volume of the loudspeakers before I unplugged the amplifier, and they didn't understand me.

The Dutchman, who cried while the sentence was read, also opted to pay a fine of 100,000 kyat (RM326) rather than serve another three months for violating the terms of his visa, which requires tourists to respect local customs.

Klaas Hiajtema, 30, said in court that he could not sleep in his Mandalay hostel because of chants broadcast by a nearby Buddhist center, known as a dharma community hall, at about 10 p.m. on September 23.

It is unclear whether Haytema will appeal his sentence.

Coconuts Yangon speculated this could be because Buddhist nationalists, who supported the prosecution of Mr Blackwood, now have less influence in the devoutly religious country. Accordingly, respecting the local culture (and religion) when visiting a foreign country isn't just the polite thing to do, sometimes it's the law.

In 2015, a New Zealand bar manager spent 10 months in jail for "insulting religion" by using a Buddha image to promote a cheap drink specials. "We could not negotiate peacefully because people were angry, so we called the police to control the situation", Chit San said. "We actually didn't want him to get arrested". The Myanmar Times reported that soldiers were eventually forced to intervene and the crowd only dispersed when authorities promised legal action.

A spokesperson for the Dutch embassy said that Mr Haijtema was "doing well, given the circumstances".

A Burmese court today sentenced Klaas Haytema, 30, to three months in prison and a fine, his lawyer said.

A tourist is facing two years in a Burmese prison after he pulled a loudspeaker plug during a religious sermon near his hotel so he could get some sleep.

stayontheblack.com

Myanmar jails Dutch man for unplugging religious sermon