Updated April 2nd, 2021 at 11:29 IST
Myanmar military shuts down internet services indefinitely in response to protests
Myanmar’s military regime on April 1 ordered internet service providers to shutdown the country’s wireless broadband services, according to Nikkei Asia.
Advertisement
Myanmar’s military regime on April 1 ordered internet service providers to shutdown the country’s wireless broadband services, according to Nikkei Asia. in a mobile text to users, the Telco operator Ooredoo reportedly said that the junta-appointed Ministry of Transport and Communications issued a directive instructing all wireless broadband data services to be “temporarily suspended” until further notice. NetBlocks, which is an advocacy group that tracks internet disruptions and shutdowns aimed at quashing dissent, also confirmed the ongoing Myanmar shutdown timeline.
Confirmed: Internet has been cut in #Myanmar from 1 am Thursday local time, the 46th consecutive night of military-imposed shutdowns.
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) March 31, 2021
Ongoing restrictions:
📵Mobile data: 17 days
🌐Roaming: 7 hours
📶Public wifi: 15 days
❌Online platforms: since Feb.
📰https://t.co/Jgc20OBk27 pic.twitter.com/wCYNyIRdaa
Since February 1 coup, Myanmar has been embroiled in protest against the military government, which has responded with increasingly totalitarian surveillance and censorship measures in addition to the violence that has left more than 500 dead and thousands arrested. Thursday’s internet shutdown has now added to the growing restrictions and it has reached a new level of severity, with multiple telecoms order to shut off various internet services like mobile data, roaming, and public Wi-Fi for different lengths of time. According to New York Times reports, in addition to the communications blackout and physical violence, Myanmar’s military is also using surveillance drones, phone-hacking devices and software for cracking personal computer security as part of a widespread digital offensive against the opposition.
‘Never stop shouting for us’
Ahead of the suspension of internet services, social media was also flooded with posts and tweets reflecting the anxiety of the impending news blackout. Some users even shared a listing of recommended independent FM radio stations as the only way to sustain protest momentum. One user wrote, “Myanmar is slowly fading from your feeds. Many of us fear it's only a matter of time before there is a complete blackout... Please never stop shouting for us”.
A dangerous development :Myanmar’s military rulers seem to want the country to go dark by having "ordered internet service providers to shut down wireless broadband services until further notice." That should alert us all for the need to step up pressure.https://t.co/Bk2KUCOh6k pic.twitter.com/6TZh7prfw7
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) April 1, 2021
News from Myanmar gonna disappear in the dark. Junta already cut off mobile internet for weeks and now they start shutting down Wifi broadbands. Unfair and unacceptable condition for any citizens!#WhatsHappeningInMyanmar #WeNeedR2PInMyanmar
— daung_official (@DaungOfficial) April 2, 2021
Dear World ...
— zinzin (@zinzin17700936) April 2, 2021
In Myanmar , internet will be cut off soon.
Total darkness is coming .
Don't know when we can come back and touch the nature .
Pray for us 🙏🙏🙏
Please speak out for Myanmar
Bye for now .
Hope to see you soon.#WhatsHappeningInMyanmar pic.twitter.com/Ouec28VrUw
Meanwhile, after February 1 coup, tens of thousands of people have been protesting against the military, demanding the restoration of democracy in Myanmar. Security forces have failed to bring the widespread demonstrations under control and the junta has ordered the use of force against peaceful protesters, killing more than five hundred people since February and arresting thousands of others. The killings of civilians have drawn international condemnation, with multiple diplomatic missions to Myanmar releasing statements and calling out the army in Burma to follow international standards of military professionalism.
(Image: AP/Pixabay)
Advertisement
Published April 2nd, 2021 at 11:29 IST
Your Voice. Now Direct.
Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.