YANGON/ MYANMAR: A New Zaland bar manager Philip Blackwood and two Burmese men have appeared before a Myanmar court accused of insulting religion by using an image of the Buddha to publicise a drinks night.
The trio, who ran a bar in Yangon, are accused of circulating the offending flyer, which featured the Buddha wearing DJ headphones and surrounded by lurid colours, has prompted outcry in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, which is grappling with surging religious nationalism.
The image triggered an angry response amongst the countrys modest online community shortly after it appeared on the bar’s Facebook page.
The trio face possible jail terms if found guilty of breaching the Religion Act with the contentious poster.
Burmese law makes it illegal to insult or damage any religion. Under the act, anyone who attempts to insult, destroy or damage any religion can be punished by a maximum of two years in jail, with another two-year penalty for those who try to insult religion through the written word.
It was Mr Blackwood’s first court appearance since he was denied bail last week along with Myanmar nationals Tun Thurein, 40, who owned the bar, and manager Htut Ko Ko Lwin, 26.
The trial could take up to six months and the three could face up to two years in jail.
Myanmar’s legal system remains opaque despite reforms since the end of full junta rule in 2011.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, is wrestling with growing Buddhist nationalist sentiment driven by extremist monks, who have urged boycotts of Muslim shops and proposed a raft of deeply controversial laws to restrict religious freedom.
Their rise has accompanied several bouts of religious violence between Muslims and Buddhists, mainly in Rakhine State.
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