David Lah, a Myanmar preacher who gained notoriety for claiming devout Christians were immune to Covid-19 before catching the disease himself, has moved from a hospital to a hotel after his neighbours blocked him from returning home, reported local media.
Residents of Yangon’s South Okkalapa township were worried about being infected if the preacher moved to his home in the Zezawah Garden, regional MP U Moe Myint told The Standard Time Daily.
Instead, he is being kept under a 21-day quarantine at a hotel in Botahtaung township. On his release in late May he faces up to three years in prison, along with three other men, for holding sermons in defiance of a government measure banning mass gatherings.
Lah already had the potential for infamy in the country. Like Buddhist ultra-nationalists, he has espoused anti-Muslim conspiracies, but unlike them, he’s also targeted the teachings of Buddhist monks—a move that comes attached with warning lights in Myanmar.
For good measure, he has been filmed making homophobic comments. Christians online have had to bear the brunt of the backlash. Meanwhile, Lah has emerged as a ridiculed darling of Myanmar’s meme scene.
But arguably his worst decision was to preach at a sermon in Insein township after Covid-19 restrictions were introduced on March 13. At least 71 cases have been linked to what has become the nation’s ‘super spreader’ event, among them Myo Gyi, the singer of popular rock band Iron Cross, who regularly sings hymns and Christian rock with Lah.
Of the 11,482 tests performed, Myanmar has confirmed 180 Covid-19 cases, or 1.57 percent. Of those, six people have died and 72 have recovered.
In mid-April, Lah, Saw Kwe Wah, a pastor, Saw Ray Gandi, a minister, and Wai Tun, a follower, were charged at Insein and Mayangone townships police stations under section 25 of the 2013 National Disaster Management Law for breaching a ban on large gatherings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Lah had already learned he tested positive for the virus and reportedly donated nearly $70,000 to Waibargi Infectious Diseases Hospital where he was being treated. He has since tested negative twice, according to reports.
His Facebook page describes him as a Myanmar-born pastor residing in Toronto, Canada and currently “touring around the globe to preach the gospel.”
Court proceedings will begin after he leaves quarantine, Moe Myint said.
