AN Â Indonesian court yesterday ordered a local branch of the Paris-based Buddha Bar chain to close after convicting the licence holder of blasphemy.

According to this report, it also ordered licensee PT Nireta Vista Creative, the official Jakarta tourism agency and Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo to pay damages of one billion rupiah (110,000 dollars) to the plaintiffs for distress.

The fools who took offence at the Buddha-themed establishment in Jakarta were a group called the Anti-Buddha Bar Forum. Said their lawyer Sunardjo Sumargono;

The licence holder was found guilty of blasphemy and of using Buddhist symbols and ornaments at an inappropriate place. We’re very pleased with the court’s decision. It’s a blessing for Buddhists. Justice has been served.

Central Jakarta district court spokesman Sugeng Riyono confirmed that judges ordered the bar to close:

As an unlawful act had been committed.

The court also found that the city authorities had failed to consider Buddhists’ religious sensitivities when they approved the licence.

The plush lounge bar and restaurant is the France-based chain’s first franchise in Asia, but it sparked protests almost from the moment it opened in late 2008 in an upmarket area of central Jakarta.

Its trademark Oriental styling – including a large sitting Buddha figure which dominates the bar area — infuriated mainly Muslim Indonesia’s Buddhist minority, who organised protests and a legal challenge.

The owners changed the name to “Buddhabar” but that failed to satisfy the Buddhists.

Muslims make up roughly 90 percent of Indonesia’s 240 million people, but the constitution also recognises the country’s Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Confucian minorities.

The owners of the bar reportedly vowed to appeal the court’s decision, which could have implications for other hotels, bars and restaurants that feature decorative statues of Buddha.