Kiwi in Myanmar jail unable to see wife, embassy reps

Kiwi bar manager Philip Blackwood has been detained in Burma.

It could be weeks before a New Zealander jailed in Myanmar can have any New Zealand visitors.

Philip Blackwood was arrested alongside his business partners for displaying an image of Buddha that authorities deemed offensive and a violation fo religious laws.

The New Zealand Embassy Office in Myanmar has reportedly been told its application for a permit to visit Blackwood may take up to two weeks to process.

Blackwood's wife had also been told by a guard at Insein Prison, where Blackwood is on remand, that foreign visitors were not allowed to see anyone in the facility, local website Mizzima said.

It said the information came from a friend of Blackwood who did not want to be named.

Blackwood, who hails from Wellington, is being held in prison without bail and facing a possible jail term of several years after an image of Buddha with headphones was included in promotional material for Vgastro.bar, where Blackwood is general manager.

The bar's owner and manager have also been denied bail.

The trio appeared in a Yangon court this week and are due back in court on December 18.

Blackwood was having trouble finding legal representation, Mizzima said, with lawyers declining to take on the case because it was controversial.

A Facebook post for the newly opened V Gastro bar, a tapas restaurant and nightclub in a Yangon embassy area, showed a psychedelic mock-up of the Buddha wearing DJ headphones to promote a cheap drinks night.

"According to Mr Philip's statement, they were trying to promote the bar. Buddha grabs people's interest ... however Buddhists cannot accept it," a police official in Yangon's Bahan township told AFP reporters late Wednesday.

"This insults the religion. So we opened the case under the Religion Act. We will file a lawsuit," he said, requesting not to be named.

After a social media storm, the bar deleted the post and wrote an apology on its Facebook page.

"VGastro management would like to express our sincere regret if we have offended the citizens of this wonderful city, who have welcomed us so warmly and generously," it said.

"Our intention was never to cause offence to anyone or toward any religious group. Our ignorance is embarrassing."

In Myanmar those who insult, destroy or damage any religion face up to two years in jail, with another two-year penalty for those who attempt to insult religion through the written word.

New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it had been in contact with Blackwood, including seeking approval to visit "within the local requirements for visiting detainees".

- Stuff

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