Myanmar mulls religious conversion curbs

Myanmar is considering restrictions on religious conversion, according to a draft bill released in state media Tuesday, the first of several controversial proposals stemming from a rising tide of Buddhist nationalism.
The proposed legislation, put forward by the ministry of religion and yet to be debated in parliament, would require people who want to change their faith to get approval from a specially-created local authority.
"No one shall apply to convert religion with the intention to insult, defame, destroy or misuse any religion," said the report in the Myanmar-language newspaper The Mirror.
It added that under the proposed law any violation could attract a two-year prison sentence.
Religion has become a deeply sensitive issue in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where several outbreaks of anti-Muslim violence in the last two years have left around 250 people dead, according to AFP.