A group who took two ultra-realistic sex dolls dressed as deities to Myanmar’s holiest Buddhist site have been seized by police.
Officials were outraged when the group of eight set up the life-size silicone dolls on a platform in the car park of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon on 22nd October.
The dolls had been dressed in traditional clothing and were both wearing crowns and sitting amid displays of flowers.
Local media reports that the dolls were supposed to be spirit guardians commonly worshipped in Myanmar to bring good luck and protection.
As crowds began to gather, the group began ritual incantations to the sex dolls.
Earlier, the dolls had been rejected when the group of worshippers tried to get them into the main temple.
Police have pledged to prosecute everyone involved in the bizarre action.
It is not clear what punishment awaits the suspects – with one named as U Shine Zarni Aung by officials – if found guilty of defaming Buddhism.
In a statement obtained by Newsflash, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture of Myanmar said: “At about 7 am on 22 October, a group of about eight people inclusive of U Shine Zarni Aung arrived with a black colour Alphard car bearing the number plate 6M/6648 at the car parking lot at the southern entrance of the pagoda. They brought with them two big dolls and one small doll measuring seven inches in height. The small doll represents Surassati goddess, and it is a glaze idol.
“As the security personnel did not allow them to bring the big dolls onto the pagoda platform, they left the idols in the parking lot. The group led by U Shine Zarni Aung went up to the pagoda platform using the escalator. They circumambulated the pagoda clockwise, bringing the glaze idol representing Surassati goddess, and arriving at the southwest corner, they held the ritual incantations with a bowl of the offertory and the glaze image placed in front of the goddess image there.
“Afterwards, they came down via the southern stairway, and they put the two lady dolls on a pedestal near the stone inscription in the car parking lot. While performing their ritual incantations, pagoda security personnel called them for interrogation, and rid the pagoda precinct of the dolls.
“Regarding this matter, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture has issued an announcement, which says that the ministry will file a case against U Shine Zarni Aung and the group for defamation of the Buddhist Religion and that the staff member who has permitted the ritual incantations without seeking the approval of the Shwedagon Pagoda Board of Trustees will have severe action taken as decided by the departmental enquiry commission, it is learnt.”
According to the 2014 census, nearly 88 per cent of Myanmar adheres to Buddhism.
Christianity is the second-largest religion, while Islam is the third, and smaller numbers adhere to Burmese folk religion and Hinduism.
Myanmar has been under a military junta since the February 2021 coup d’etat, which famously deposed of Aung San Suu Kyi.
