Forty-one Myanmar citizens who defied the movement control order (MCO) by participating in a water festival in Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi recently were fined RM1,000 each by the Magistrate's Court today.

Magistrate A Akhiruddin @ Boy Acho handed down the sentence to all of them after they pleaded guilty to the charges which were read out by a Burmese interpreter.

He also ordered the accused, aged between 19 to 34, to serve a month each in jail if they failed to pay the fine.

According to the charge, the men were charged with gathering by participating in the Thingyan water festival in an area of infection in the compound of a male factory workers’ hostel here between 8.30 am to 10pm on April 12.

They were charged under Regulation 6 (1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020.

Deputy public prosecutor Nurul Faraheen Yahya asked the court to impose a deterrent sentence as the offence was committed during the MCO and their actions seemed to be challenging the country's laws.

In mitigation, counsel G Rajasingam, who represented all the accused, appealed that the sentence to be a fine on the grounds that the foreign workers had valid permits and came from poor families.

- Bernama

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