Myanmar has arrested a TikTok astrologer for sparking panic by predicting a second earthquake to hit the Southeast Asian nation still reeling from the impact of last month’s powerful temblor.
John Moe, a 21-year-old self-proclaimed fortune teller, was arrested following a raid at his home in the city of Sagaing on Tuesday morning for “spreading rumours”.
The TikToker, who has more than 300,000 followers, predicted that a “very strong” earthquake would strike “every city in Myanmar” in 12 days.
“People should not stay in tall buildings during the day,” Mr Moe wrote in the caption of his video.
“Take important things with you and run away from buildings during the shaking.”
The video was widely circulated on social media, receiving 3.3 million views and causing panic among some communities.
His prediction came on 9 April, 10 days after a major earthquake killed 3,700 people, injured over 5,100, and destroyed some 65,000 structures, including homes, schools and religious sites.
The earthquake, with its epicentre near Mandalay, killed people across six regions, including Naypyidaw, Bago and Sagaing.
Myanmar’s military government released a statement on state media on Thursday confirming the astrologer’s arrest.
“We got a tip-off about fake news being spread through a TikTok account that a severe earthquake will hit,” the statement said.
“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.”
Mr Moe runs the TikTok account “John Palmistry” and regularly shares forecasts about weather disasters and political events such as the release of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been in detention since the 2021 military coup, and possible American strikes on Myanmar.
In 2022, he was held in a juvenile detention centre in Mandalay for two years for allegedly receiving military training from an ethnic rebel group, according to Irrawaddy News.
