Photo: All Around Photo/Shutterstock

Tourist Could Go to Jail for Flying a Drone in Myanmar

Myanmar News
by Eben Diskin Feb 12, 2019

Poor drones users seem to be wreaking havoc wherever they go. After creating chaos at several airports for flying too close to aircrafts earlier this year, another drone incident took place, in Myanmar this time. Last week, a French tourist was arrested for allegedly flying a drone close to Myanmar’s Parliament building in Naypyidaw. 27-year-old Michel Desclaux might not only be guilty of flying in a restricted area, but also of bringing a drone into Myanmar illegally, facing up to three years in prison.

The country’s law on unmanned aerial vehicles laws are extremely strict. Drones are banned in many parts of the country, including much of Yangon, near a palace in Mandalay, around airports, above large gatherings of people, and on and near private property without proper permission. Ye Tun Aung, who sells drones in Mandalay, complained to The New York Times that in certain areas, the anti-drone warnings are not clear and visible enough to tourists. There is a small sign on the Parliament building in Naypyidaw explaining the drone ban, but only the word “drone” is in English, the rest is in Burmese.

This isn’t the first drone-related incident in Myanmar. In 2017, two foreign journalists, a Burmese journalist, and their driver were arrested for flying a drone in Naypyidaw, and served two-month prison sentences.

H/T: The New York Times

Discover Matador