A police officer from Aye Tharyar Police Station confirmed to One News that a man living in Aye Tharyar in Taunggyi Township, Shan State (South) has been charged under the Election Protection Law for allegedly posting on social media to sabotage the election.
Ko Nay Thway, the owner of the Facebook account “Lashio Baegyi,” was arrested on August 24 and charged with posting on social media to sabotage the election after criticizing a carjacking incident in Lashio. His posts also contained obscene and extremely vulgar language. “He has already been arrested. We went with a team of police to find him and arrested him. This is the first case to be filed under the Election Protection Law. The investigation is ongoing. The person who was arrested is a refugee from Lashio. The reason for taking action is because the election is approaching, so we are taking action as an example,” said a police officer from the Aye Tharyar Police Station.
Currently, Ko Nay Thway has been charged under Section 23(a) of the Law on the Protection of Multiparty Democratic General Elections from Obstruction, Disruption, and Destruction at the Aye Tharyar Police Station in Taunggyi Township. Section 23(a) prohibits any person from giving speech, expressing verbally, campaigning, protesting, or distributing any written material to disrupt the general election process or any part of it, and anyone who violates this prohibition shall be sentenced to a minimum of three years imprisonment and a maximum of seven years imprisonment, and may also be fined. Filing against Ko Nay Thway, the owner of the “Lashio Baegyi” account, is the first case to be taken action under the Election Protection Law.
