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.
Local interpreter and journalist Aung Naing Soe was seen leaving the prison on Friday morning.
Roughly six weeks ago, we reported on a Singaporean and Malaysian journalist together with their interpreter and driver being jailed for two months after having flown their drone to close to Myanmar’s parliament. They have now been released according to authorities. All four of them worked for Turkish broadcaster TRT and were serving a two-month sentence for not complying with local aviation rules and regulations.
On Friday, a Myanmar court jailed a Singaporean and Malaysian journalist together with their interpreter and driver for 2 months over drone use in Myanmar.
Cameraman Lau Hon Meng from Singapore and reporter Mok Choy Lin from Malaysia were on assignment for Turkey’s state broadcaster and were detained together with their Myanmar interpreter, Aung Naing Soe, and driver, Hla Tin on October 27th for attempting to fly a drone near the parliament in the capital, Naypyidaw. They had been working on a documentary for TRT World, an English-language subsidiary of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation.