BANGKOK: A Myanmar court on Thursday dropped additional charges against two foreign journalists and their local staff who were arrested in October for allegedly flying a drone over the parliament.

Lau Hon Meng, a Singaporean, and Mok Choy Lin, a Malaysian, working for the Turkish state broadcaster TRT will be freed from detention together with their local interpreter Aung Naing Soe and driver Hla Tin on Jan 5, after serving a two-month prison sentence for illegally flying a drone, their lawyer said.

Khin Maung Zaw said that authorities dropped more the serious charges of importing a drone without permission and immigration violations against the foreigners after concluding that the journalists and their staff did not intent to endanger national security.

Authorities also wanted to maintain good diplomatic relations with the countries of the two journalists, he said.

The journalists and their staff were detained Oct 27 after attempting to fly a drone over the legislative complex in the capital, Naypitaw.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2017