Yangon, Oct 29 (AFP) Myanmar police have charged twoforeign journalists working for Turkish state media -- alongwith two Burmese locals -- for allegedly breaching import lawsafter they flew a drone over the country's parliament.
The men will be held in custody until their first courthearing on charges that carry up to three years in jail or afine for the import and export of "restricted or banned goods"without obtaining a license.
"We have opened a case against all four -- two foreignersand two Burmese. They will be held on remand until November10," deputy police colonel Kyaw Moe told AFP.
The foreigners, Lau Hon Meng from Singapore and Mok ChoyLin from Malaysia, were arrested on Friday in Myanmar'scapital Naypyidaw while they were on assignment for Turkishstate broadcaster TRT.
The pair was working with well-known Myanmar journalistAung Naing Soe and a local driver Hla Tin.
The incident comes as tensions surge between Myanmar andTurkey, which has led criticism of the Southeast Asian nationfor its treatment of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accusedMyanmar of incubating "Buddhist terror" and carrying out agenocide against the Muslim group.
More than 600,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar's Rakhinestate since late August, running from burning villages theysay were set alight by soldiers and Buddhist mobs.
Several journalists have been arrested in Myanmar thisyear, fuelling fears of an erosion of the press freedoms thatblossomed after the end of junta rule in 2011.
Many have been charged with defamation or arrested forreporting on armed rebel groups. (AFP)KIS.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.
