Dutch tourist, Klaas Haytema,30, is facing two years in Burmese prison after an accident in September 23. The tourist allegedly disconnected an amplifier during late-night Buddhist prayers at a religious hall in the tourist city of Mandalay in Northern Myanmar.
Minutes after the prayer interruption, protesters gathered outside his hotel, and soldiers were deployed to protect him from the angry mob.
He was then arrested and charged with insulting religion and currently detained while he await trial. The immigration department also charged him with violating the terms of his visa that stated that; that visitors should follow the existing laws of Myanmar, as well as the customs of Myanmar.
Local immigration department head Thaung Dan while speaking with Myanmar Times said;
“If someone applies for a visa to enter Myanmar, they have to follow the rules and regulations laid out in the visa,”
Haytema while explaining the reasons for his behaviour in court said;
"I wanted to sleep desperately. I couldn’t stand the noise and checked outside the hotel, I saw that children were playing. I thought that they were playing it [the sermon] and disconnected the amplifier.
“I did not notice that it was a religious building. I am really sorry and I really apologise.”
The man reciting the sermon pressed charges against Haytema for insulting the biddhist religion.
Insulting religion is a serious officer in Myanmar, and Mandalay where Haytema allegedly committed the offence is a religiously conservative area.
According to a local legal officer, the offence carries a two-year jail sentence.