Myanmar jails New Zealander over Buddha insult ad

YANGON: A New Zealand bar manager and his two Myanmar colleagues were sentenced today to two and a half years in jail by a Yangon court for using a Buddha image to promote a cheap drinks night.

The ad posted on Facebook in December triggered outrage in the former junta-ruled country, where surging Buddhist nationalism and religious violence has sparked international concern.

Philip Blackwood, who worked at the VGastro bar in Yangon, was found guilty of insulting religion along with the bar's Myanmar owner and manager.

The trio were sentenced to two years in jail for insulting religion through written word or pictures and a further six months — both terms carrying the punishment of hard labour — for breaching local authority regulations.

They were held responsible for protests that erupted outside the bar.

Judge Ye Lwin said that although Blackwood, 32, posted an apology, he had "intentionally plotted to insult religious belief" when he uploaded the photo.

http://ift.tt/1i3pGCA Zealand bar manager,Buddha image

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