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Authorities in Myanmar have taken the unusual step of arresting an astrologer for inciting public fear by forecasting another earthquake in a TikTok video that gained widespread attention.
John Moe The released this prediction on April 9, shortly after a devastating magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the country, resulting in 3,500 fatalities and significant destruction of historic structures.
According to Myanmar’s information ministry, he was apprehended on Tuesday for allegedly making “false statements intended to create public panic.”
In his video, John Moe The warned that an earthquake was set to impact “every city in Myanmar” on April 21. Seismologists argue that predicting earthquakes remains impractical due to the intricate nature of the geological processes involved.
His video, which attracted over three million views, advised viewers to “take important things with you and run away from buildings during the shaking.” The accompanying caption cautioned, “People should not stay in tall buildings during the day.”
A resident from Yangon shared with AFP that many individuals in her community had taken the prediction seriously, choosing to sleep outdoors rather than in their homes on the day the earthquake was forecasted to occur.
John Moe The’s TikTok account, which has since been taken down, boasted more than 300,000 followers and claimed to provide forecasts drawing on astrology and palmistry.
His arrest took place during a raid at his residence in Sagaing, located in central Myanmar.
The districts of Mandalay and Sagaing experienced significant devastation from the March 28 earthquake, prompting an unusual appeal from the Myanmar military government for international assistance.
This recent earthquake was powerful enough to be felt up to 1,000 kilometers away in Bangkok, Thailand, leading to a tragic building collapse at a construction site that resulted in numerous deaths.
Source
www.bbc.com