Even by the standards of social media it was a fairly lame joke — an image of a photograph of a man in army uniform being stamped on. Now the Facebook user who posted it faces three years in jail — as does anyone in Burma who ridicules the country’s armed forces.
Patrick Khum Jaa Lee, 43, a peace activist, was arrested in Rangoon after posting an image of a man in civilian clothes standing on a portrait of General Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of the Burmese armed forces. He has been charged with online defamation and is being held in Insein prison in Rangoon.
Last Monday a woman was charged with a similar crime after she put up photographs comparing the colour of army uniforms to a skirt worn by Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader. Chaw Sandi Tun, 24, wrote: “They like the colour of Auntie Suu’s skirt so much, they are now wearing it.” Burmese traditionally regard women’s lower garments as unclean, and the idea of a man wearing them is offensive.
Activists say the arrests indicate increasing repression in Burma, which had been praised for recent reforms. President Thein Sein faces losing next month’s election to Ms Suu Kyi.
“[Burma]’s authorities have once again shown how dangerously thin-skinned and vindictive they are,” Laura Haigh, of Amnesty International, said.