In Myanmar, Poet Who Wrote About Penis Tattoo Is Convicted of Defamation

Alas, not just any tattoo but a portrait of former President U Thein Sein (on his penis). The poet, Maung Saungkha, who is 24 years old, penned the poem about his hypothetical adornment. He will serve six months in prison for defamation after being held in jail for the last six months. Via NYT:

HONG KONG — A poet in Myanmar who wrote in October that he had a tattoo of the country’s president on his penis was found guilty on Tuesday of defamation and sentenced to a six-month jail term.

The poet, Maung Saungkha, 24, had been held since November and was released on Tuesday based on time served, according to a court in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city.

A short poem in which he made his assertion, apparently about U Thein Sein, who was president until the end of March, received wide attention last fall because of its off-color material and its timing.

Mr. Maung Saungkha posted the poem on Facebook in October, one month before the landmark election that brought the Nobel Peace laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy to power.

He has said he does not have such a tattoo. But he said by phone on Tuesday that he was inspired to write the poem by the images of political heroes like Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi that some supporters have inked on their bodies.

Continue reading at NYT.