Astrologer Detained After Viral Quake Prediction Sparks Panic in Myanmar

In an unexpected turn of events, a Myanmar-based astrologer, John Moe The, has been arrested after his TikTok video predicting an earthquake caused widespread panic among residents. The 9 April post gained over three million views, warning of catastrophic tremors set to strike all cities on 21 April, just weeks following a devastating earthquake that killed 3,500 people in the region. The information ministry accused Moe The of making "false statements with the intention of causing public panic," leading to significant concern for public safety.

Authorities highlighted the impossibility of predicting earthquakes, and noted that the chaos induced by Moe The's video led many, particularly in Yangon, to vacate their homes and take refuge outdoors on the rumored date of the quake. They reacted strongly to his advice to evacuate buildings, fearing for their safety during what they believed would be another disaster. The arrest took place during a raid at his residence in Sagaing, where Moe The had established a following of over 300,000 on his now-deleted TikTok account, which featured content centered around astrology and palmistry. While the recent seismic activity in the region has understandably heightened anxiety, experts maintain that earthquake predictions are inherently unreliable, drawing attention to the need for reliance on scientific expertise over speculative forecasts.