Myanmar jails tourist for pulling plug on sermon

A Myanmar court on Thursday jailed a Dutch tourist for three months with hard labor for insulting religion after he unplugged an amplifier relaying a late-night Buddhist sermon.
Klass Haytema, 30, was arrested two weeks ago after he pulled the plug on the Buddhist service held near his hotel in the northern city of Mandalay, complaining about the noise.
Slights against religion are treated with extreme seriousness by the courts and a pious public in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
Delivering the ruling, a judge on Thursday said Haytema was “clearly guilty” of insulting religion and was “sentenced to three months imprisonment with hard labor.”
The Dutchman, who cried while the sentence was read, also opted to pay a fine of 100,000 kyat ($80) rather than serve another three months for violating the terms of his visa, which requires tourists to respect local customs.
Haytema apologized during previous hearings, according to local media, saying he did not realize what he was doing and simply wanted to sleep.
He was also accused of insulting Buddhism by not taking off his shoes when he entered the prayer hall.
Haytema is one of several foreigners to recently fall foul of the law, which criminalizes “voluntary” disruption of a religious ceremony.

Source: Arab News