Dutch man due in Myanmar court on insulting religion charge

A Dutch citizen charged with insulting religion in Myanmar for allegedly unplugging an amplifier blasting a late-night Buddhist sermon near his hotel is to appear in court, local officials said Friday.

Klaas Haytema, 30, was arrested last week in the city of Mandalay and has been detained while awaiting trial, a township police officer said.

“We are trying hard to make sure the trial doesn’t take too long,” police officer Kyi Soe said.

Haytema was staying at a hotel near a community religious hall, and a crowd gathered to protest when the loudspeakers were turned off.

The man who was reciting the sermon pressed charges against Haytema for insulting the Buddhist religion, and immigration officials have charged him with violating the terms of his visa.

Dutch diplomats declined to comment on the case.

Local media reported that Haytema apologized to authorities. He faces up to two years in prison and a fine if convicted of the charge of insulting religion in the predominantly Buddhist country. Mandalay, a major tourist attraction in central Myanmar, is the country’s cultural capital and the former seat of Burmese kings.

In early 2015, a Myanmar court sentenced a New Zealand bar manager to two years in prison after he posted an image of Buddha wearing headphones on the bar’s Facebook page.