This Article is From Sep 30, 2016

Dutch Man Due In Myanmar Court On Insulting Religion Charge

Dutch Man Due In Myanmar Court On Insulting Religion Charge

A court in the Myanmar city of Mandalay says a Dutch citizen has been charged with "insulting religion."

YANGON: A court in the Myanmar city of Mandalay says a Dutch citizen has been charged with "insulting religion."

Local officials said Klaas Haytema, 30, was due in court later Friday after he was arrested a week earlier for allegedly unplugging an amplifier blasting a late-night sermon near his hotel.

Haytema was staying at a hotel with his girlfriend when a crowd gathered to protest having the loudspeakers turned off. Police and Dutch diplomats refused to comment on the case.

Local media reported that Haytema had apologized to authorities, but he could still face up to two years in prison and be fined if he is convicted of the charge in the predominantly Buddhist country.

Several foreigners have gotten into trouble in Myanmar for religious offenses in the past two years.
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