Another suspect wanted in the Mingala Taungnyunt incident from two weeks ago has turned himself in, police confirmed to Kumudra.
The suspect, Myint Phone Moh, turned himself in at the Mingala Taungnyunt township court yesterday morning. He is the fifth of seven suspects to be charged with Section 505(c) of the Myanmar Penal Code, which is used against “Whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumor or report with intent to incite, or which is likely to incite, any class or community of persons to commit any offense against any other class or community.”
Two other suspects — married couple Tin Htut Zaw and Aung Aung Myint — were arrested the day after the incident. On May 15, two additional suspects — Tin Htay Aung and Tin Lin Htike — also turned themselves into the authorities.
There are arrest warrants out for the remaining two suspects, who are both monks and are still on the run.
The culprits are being charged for their role in trying to incite violence by leading a nationalist mob to an apartment in Mingala Taungnyunt that they claimed were housing ‘illegal’ Rohingya Muslims. Police eventually fired a warning shot and cleared the area, but one Muslim man was severely injured on the night.
Following the incident, Mingala Taungnyunt MP Phyu Phyu Thin called on Yangon governmental authorities to prosecute the individuals who lead the mob on such groundless accusations. Since then, she has received several death threats from nationalists.
If found guilty, the culprits face a maximum prison sentence of two years and/or a monetary fine.
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