Buzz
Refusing to pay a $370 fine, a Russian male tourist was sentenced to one month in prison for wearing shoes in certain temples in Bagan.
Tourist imprisoned for one month for wearing shoes in temple in Myanmar
The incident took place at a temple in Bagan, Myanmar when a Russian male tourist wore shoes while visiting. 'He kept wearing shoes in the temple despite being warned several times. The locals couldn't tolerate this behavior, so they sued the tourist under section 295, Penal Code for intentionally insulting religion,' said Lieutenant Myo Nyunt, a tourism police officer.
According to the charges, this tourist faced a fine or a maximum sentence of two years in prison. On August 1st, the tourist, who remained anonymous, refused to pay the $370 fine. Therefore, the court declared a one-month prison sentence, reported by MSN on August 3rd.
This isn't the first case of a tourist being sued for insulting religion in Myanmar, a country where nearly 90% of the population follows Buddhism. In October 2016, a Dutch male tourist paid a $74 fine instead of facing three months in prison. The reason was that he had unplugged an electric socket during a sermon in Mandalay city.
***
References: Travel guide from iWANDER.com
iWANDER.comAugust 8th, 2017
