New Zealand citizen Philip Blackwood. Pic: AP.

The prosecution of Rangoon bar manager Philip Blackwood for insulting Buddhism will come as no surprise to Burma watchers who have witnessed the steady rise of Buddhist fundamentalism and intolerance in Burma over the last few years.

Mr Blackwood, 32, a New Zealand national who was the general manager of the V Gastro Bar in Rangoon and two Burmese nationals Tun Thurein the bar owner and Htut Ko Ko Lwin the bar manager went on trial Friday after being held since December 10. The three men pleaded not guilty.

They are being prosecuted after they used a picture of Buddha in headphones against a psychedelic backdrop on a flyer advertising their bar.

Whilst Buddha images are highly revered in Buddhist countries like Burma and Thailand they are often fashionable icons with little spiritual significance in the West. The Buddha Bar franchise and its series of mix CDs which use Buddha images in their promotion have become very popular in Western countries and have spawned many imitators.

That is very possibly what inspired Mr Blackwood in his flyer design and seems to be confirmed by Lt-Col. Thien Win, the head of Bahan Police Station where the arrested men were taken. He told Irrawaddy: He said he did it because using the Buddha in ads is in fashion internationally and thought it would attract more attention.

Whilst putting out such a flyer is undeniably culturally insensitive I suspect Mr Blackwood and westerners who hear about the case might deem his potential punishment of four years imprisonment overly harsh.

Irrespective of the sentence, if Mr Blackwood was not aware of the potential ramifications of his flyer design his Burmese partners should have been and should have stopped him.

They would have been aware of the rise of Burmese fundamentalism and sectaria intolerance manifested in the rise to prominence of the radical monk Wirathu, the 969 movement and the formation of Committee for the Protection of Nationality and Religion, better known as Ma Ba Tha, in June 2013.

The offending image posted on Facebook, and later removed, by Philip Blackwood. Image via Facebook.

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Bar manager goes on trial in Burma amid rising Buddhist extremism

TIME World Burma A New Zealander Is Facing 4 Years in a Burmese Prison for Insulting Buddhism New Zealand citizen Philip Blackwood, center, is escorted by Burmese policemen after his hearing at a court in Rangoon on Dec. 18, 2014 Lynn Bo BoEPA His trial is the latest example of growing religious intolerance in the country

A bar manager from New Zealand and two Burmese nationals are spending Christmas Day in Burmas notorious Insein prison and will go on trial Friday, charged with insulting the Buddhist religion.

Phil Blackwood, 32, is the general manager of V Gastro, a bar and restaurant in the countrys commercial capital Rangoon. He, along with the bars owner Tun Thurein and manager Htut Ko Ko Lwin, were arrested on Dec. 10 after posting a promotional advert on the establishments Facebook page showing the Buddha wearing headphones.

Though the post was removed and an apology issued, it quickly drew scorn from local Buddhists who found the image offensive.

The trio were refused bail and have been in custody since their arrest. Blackwood has had trouble finding legal representation and is being kept in a separate cell to his colleagues. He is also not allowed to see visitors.

If found guilty, the three face up to four years in prison.

David Mathieson, senior Burma researcher at Human Rights Watch, criticizes the severity of the charges.

It shows a massive injustice the lack of access to lawyers and consular support, he tells TIME. Even by their own legal procedures, [the legal system] has completely failed to uphold the rule of law.

These charges are the latest example of rising religious chauvinism in the country. A group of hard-line Buddhist monks, called the Association of Protection of Race and Religion, or Ma Ba Tha in Burmese, is pushing hard-line Buddhism into politics and espousing an anti-Muslim rhetoric.

There is evidence indicating that Ma Ba Tha and 969 [another ultra-nationalist Buddhist group] have strong alliances with political parties including members of the ruling party. There is a visible pattern of bias in government departments acting in favor of these groups, says Htuu Lou Rae from interfaith group Coexist.

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A New Zealander Is Facing 4 Years in a Burmese Prison for Insulting Buddhism

A Kiwi bar manager charged with insulting Buddhism will be back in a Myanmar court today.

Philip Blackwood, 32, who hails from Wellington, and his two Burmese business partners are accused of religious offences after posting an image of Buddha wearing headphones on social media as part of a promotion for the newly opened VGastro Bar.

The three men had their first court appearance last week where the charges were upheld.

They were denied bail and have been held in a jail in Yangon.

In Myanmar anyone who attempts to insult, destroy or damage any religion can be sentenced to a maximum of two years in jail, with another two years for insulting religion through the written word.

Blackwood grew up in Tawa and studied commerce and science at Victoria University.

He worked as an engineer, including on the Supreme Court renovation, before the recession hit. He took a position at a Myanmar restaurant in 2010, before launching VGastro this month.

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Kiwi back in court over Buddha insult