Burma Expels Canadian Prof over Buddhist Tattoos on His Leg

[icy]

The Mahayana Buddhist tattoos on Jason Polley's legs that have caused such a stir in Burma.  Apart from Sri Lanka, Burma is another country where tourists need to be respectful of Buddha images they tattoo on their bodies as this would incurr unnecessary wrath and sensitivity to the Burmese.


Jason Polley is kicked out of Burma after photo of Buddhist tattoos on his leg went viral on Facebook in Southeast Asian country.

By: Ethan Lou Staff Reporter, Published on Tue Aug 05 2014

A backpacking Canadian professor says he was forced to leave Burma after his leg tattoos caused a stir.
Jason Polley, who teaches English at Hong Kong Baptist University, said the problem started a day after he arrived in the country last week, when a local person took a picture of his Buddha tattoos and posted it to Facebook.

The photo apparently went viral in the Southeast Asian country, which experiences Buddhist-Muslim conflict and has many who consider lower body parts unclean.

In an interview from Bangkok, Polley said about 15 tourism officials came to his hotel in Inle Lake, north of the capital Rangoon, on Saturday night and “accosted” him in the lobby.
“They said: ‘Why would you put these tattoos on your leg? You understand that you’re a Facebook star in Myanmar?’ ” he said by phone Tuesday.

Polley, of Russell, Ont., is a Mahayana Buddhist and his tattoos, which chart the religion’s development, are on his leg to represent a pillar of support.

He said most Burmese practise a different branch of the religion, and officials told him they were there for his protection as radicals might hurt him over the tattoos.

In addition to demanding the couple’s passports, Polley said six officials repeatedly photographed him and his leg, and one tried to grab him when he stood up.

“He was the only official who really made things extremely uncomfortable for both of us,” Polley said, adding the others were cordial.

“I would have gladly fought him right there. In retrospect, I would still want to fight him, even though it would be a bad idea.”

Polley said the officials’ tone became kinder after questioning him when they seemed to realize he wasn’t an Islamic “fundamentalist.”

They told them not to leave the hotel until Sunday morning, when they said they expected to hear back from the country’s tourism minister.

But an hour later Polley and his Hong Kong girlfriend, Margaret Lam, were given two hours to gather their belongings. The officials then put them on a 15-hour car ride to the airport.

While officials initially told him he was to be deported, Polley said other officials told him he was being asked to leave the country for his own safety.

There is no Canadian embassy in Burma, and Polley’s guidebook told him to contact the Australian Embassy, which was closed Saturday night. He and Lam were able to ask friends in Hong Kong to contact Canadian and Chinese officials on Sunday morning.

Chinese officials responded almost within the hour and got a Burmese speaker on the phone to talk to local authorities, but the Canadians did not get back to him.

Polley planned to finish the rest of his 23-day vacation in Thailand and Laos, though he did not rule out returning to Burma in the future.

Foreign Affairs spokesman John Babcock said in a statement that countries have the “prerogative” in deciding whom to keep in their borders and consular officials cannot intervene if Canadians do not meet “entry requirements.

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/08/05/burma_expels_canadian_prof_over_buddhist_tattoos_on_his_leg.html?

[bambi]

Again another problem because of Buddha tattoos. Well, this one is a bit uncomfortable coz it was done on the leg. I am sure it could be done on another part of the body which is more respectful. Well, he should read the news more often as this is not the first case that someone is deported coz of offensive Buddha images on body. Hope that he will put his long pants on for the balance of holidays...

[dondrup]

A Buddha image is sacred in Myanmar.  To have a Buddha image tattooed on the leg is definitely a no-no in Myanmar!

It seems like many foreigners like Jason Polley who travels to Asia don't make the effort to know the entry requirements of the countries that they are visiting.  It is not the first time that foreigners had been deported for their tattoos on their bodies in Asia.  Any well-informed travelers realise of the need to respect the law, culture and religious beliefs of the countries that they are visiting.  It is for their own sakes that they abide by the entry requirements lest they suffer the inconveniences and embarassment of being deported.

[RedLantern]

Authorities in predominantly Buddhist nation is notoriously tough on perceived insults to Buddhism,it is a warning to visitors against potential acts of insolence.

[angelica]

As a tourist, before we travel to other country, we must first understand the customs of the place that we will be visiting and also the do and don't, this is to show respect for the locals.

[maricisun]

To have a Buddha image to be tattoo onto one's leg is a big No especially when Buddha images are so sacred in Burma. The person doing this is actually ignorant of others' religion and it is also a sign of no respect.  Especially done on the leg.
Let's hope he wears long pants wherever he is going in future or if possible remove the tattoo.
And also do some research when visiting country where Buddhism is the main religion in order to not get into the law.

[Rihanna]

As Buddhists we understand and know that it is disrespectful to tattoo or wear any Buddha images below our torso. It would be good if one who wishes to have tattoo done to check with a Buddhist temple what is the rule of thumb to avoid any awkward situation.

However, how Jason Polley and his girlfriend were treated and handled is questionable. Was it necessary to give them two hours to gather their belongings and putting them on a 15-hour car ride to the airport?? What was their crime??? For a tattoo of a Buddha on the wrong part of his body? The excuse given by the authorities was for his own safety??? Those who committed arson and threat to national security have been escorted safely out of a country to their country of origin, let alone someone whose 'crime' was a tattoo. I think the authorities over reacted for reasons only known to themselves.

[rossoneri]

There are time when things are done although we might think is cool but it might not be to others especially on the subject of art and culture. It is very subjective and there's not right or wrong, but i seriously think we should not have any form of tattoo of a religious figure on our skin out of respect more than anything else.

[pinecone]

A quote by Emperor Asoka, the first Buddhist King of India
“One should not honour only one's own religion and condemn the religions of others, but one should honour others' religions for this or that reason.  So doing, one helps one's own religion to grow and renders service to the religions of others too.  In acting otherwise one digs the grave of one's own religion and also does harm to other religions.  Whosoever honours his own religion and condemns other religions, does so indeed through devotion to his own religion, thinking "I will glorify my own religion".  But on the contrary, in so doing he injures his own religion more gravely.  So concord is good: Let all listen, and be willing to listen to the doctrines professed by others.” 
As a well learned person who had work and stayed at Hong Kong for quite some time, should be fully aware of the customs, traditions and the beliefs of the Asians.  Most people will gather information on the dos and don’ts before venturing to another country in order not to be offend the local. Similarly would one dared to have his own country King’s tattoo on his legs? It is really a disrespectful act and ignorance of this Canadian Professor to tattoos a Buddha’s image on his leg!

[fruven]

As Buddhists we understand and know that it is disrespectful to tattoo or wear any Buddha images below our torso. It would be good if one who wishes to have tattoo done to check with a Buddhist temple what is the rule of thumb to avoid any awkward situation.

However, how Jason Polley and his girlfriend were treated and handled is questionable. Was it necessary to give them two hours to gather their belongings and putting them on a 15-hour car ride to the airport?? What was their crime??? For a tattoo of a Buddha on the wrong part of his body? The excuse given by the authorities was for his own safety??? Those who committed arson and threat to national security have been escorted safely out of a country to their country of origin, let alone someone whose 'crime' was a tattoo. I think the authorities over reacted for reasons only known to themselves.

It is debatable whether it is an issue of safety or something else. I wonder how people responded on Facebook post. The news doesn't go into detail how people responded on Facebook although it did mention the photo of the man's tattoo went viral. I feel the police should have issue a warning that it is disrespectful. It is an opportunity to inform the couples and any traveller who wishes to enter the country.