Let this be a lesson for all you would be psychics out there, your predictions could land you in jail. A TikTok astrologer is behind bars after falsly predicting an earthquake would hit.
The astrologer lived in Myanmar, which has less lax free speech laws. So they took the false prediction strongly after it spread false panic in the country. Cue authorities arriving to the house of TikTok astrologer John Moe The and arresting the influencer. John Mo predicted an earthquake would hit on April 9.
He said it would be a very strong earthquake that would hit every city in the country, according to CBS.
"People should not stay in tall buildings during the day," John Moe The wrote in the caption. "Take important things with you and run away from buildings during the shaking."
Astrologer Arrested
This came after an earthquake hit Myanmar in March. It was a powerful event that killed thousands and injured more. The country suffered more than 140 aftershocks."Frequent strong aftershocks continue to shake central Myanmar almost daily, increasing fear and uncertainty," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs wrote in a statement on April 18.
So maybe the astrologer thought it was a good bet that another earthquake would hit. When that didn't happen, police raided his home.
"We got a tip-off about fake news being spread through a TikTok account that a severe earthquake will hit," the statement said, according to the outlet. "Action will be taken effectively against him according to the law. Likewise, we will also take action effectively against those who write or spread or share fake news."
It's against the law to publish fake news in the country. Article 19 prohibits it. Nan Nan, a local resident in Yangon, said many people believe the astrologer and his prediction. As such, he's in trouble.
"Most of my neighbors dared not to stay in their apartments and lived out on the street that day," Nan said to the AFP. "My friend even hired a small house outside Yangon in preparation."
It's almost impossible to predict an earthquake. So the astrologer should have seen this coming.
