Skip to main content

Frenchman faces Myanmar court on drone flying charge

A Frenchman by the name of Arthur Desclaux has appeared in a Myanmar court on a drone flying charge after having been arrested two weeks ago. The French drone pilot has allegedly flown his unmanned aircraft too close to the country’s vast parliament complex.

French drone pilot faces Myanmar court on drone flying charge

As a result of his drone flying, the French drone pilot is now charged under the illegal Export-Import act and according to Herald Bulletin could face up to three years in jail if convicted. Arthur Desclaux was transported to the Myanmar court in the back of a police vehicle.

An official of the French consulate informed reporters outside the court on Friday that the 27-year-old Desciaux was well treated, but was still kept in custody. Frederic Inza said:

“We regret he is still in prison. We were hoping for a rapid solution.”

The next hearing has been set by the court in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw on February 27th, when witness testimony is expected to begin. We will keep you up to date on the outcome of this case.

Almost exactly one year ago, we covered this story of another French drone pilot, Pierre Michel Breckler, who was arrested when he flew his Mavic Pro over the residence of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. Police in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district arrested the Frenchman when he was flying his unmanned aerial vehicle in Chamtomok commune near Koh Pich bridge. The district police chief Huon Chan Yaran confirmed that the drone pilot was arrested for using the aircraft to capture footage of prohibited areas without permission.

So in general, be mindful of the local rules and regulations for bringing drones into any country as well as flying them there. Especially in more exotic locations, you may be breaking rules that you weren’t even aware of.

STAY IN TOUCH!

If you’d like to stay up to date with all the latest drone news, scoops, rumors and reviews, then follow us on TwitterFacebookYouTubeInstagram or sign up for our email newsletter DroneRise, that goes out every weekday morning at 6 am.

Buy your next drone through directly from manufacturers, such as DJIParrotYuneec or retailers like AmazonB&HBestBuy or eBay. By using our links, we will make a small commission, but it will not cost you anything extra. Thank you for helping DroneDJ grow!

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading DroneDJ — experts who break news about DJI and the wider drone ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow DroneDJ on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Comments

Author

Avatar for Haye Kesteloo Haye Kesteloo

Haye Kesteloo is the Editor in Chief and Main Writer at DroneDJ, where he covers all drone related news and writes product reviews. He also contributes to the other sites in the 9to5Mac group such as; 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys and Electrek. Haye can be reached at haye@dronedj.com or @hayekesteloo