Restrictions on phone and internet service, and increased surveillance, are leaving large parts of Myanmar cut off from outside information, a recent report finds.
The report by nonprofit Athan Myanmar shows that more than 80 townships have had phone and internet service cut so far this year, and authorities have arrested at least 70 people for alleged criticism of the military. The internet is blocked completely in some regions and has been slowed in others.
A person who works in the fiber internet business told VOA that the expanded censorship is making it increasingly difficult to access news websites and social media. Many people in Myanmar use social media to access media and information.
“I will tell you — Facebook Messenger, news websites, BBC and Reuters, etc., [have been] disrupted since yesterday,” said the person, who asked not to be named because of security concerns. “The Military Council has banned many of the software that provides the base for our cloud server. We can’t use it anymore. If you want to use them, you have to use a VPN.”
The military — also known as the Tatmadaw — is actively blocking virtual private networks, or VPNs, which help internet users bypass restrictions to access websites, as well as social media and messaging platforms.
The move “poses a major threat to press freedom, activism and the ability of people to hold their government accountable,” Simon Migliano, head of research at Top10VPN, told VOA last month. The London-based organization tests the security of VPNs and researches internet and tech security.
The Athan Myanmar report shows that almost all the townships in Rakhine State, Sagaing Region, Chin State, Kachin State and the northern Shan State capital, Lashio, are affected. All are experiencing intense resistance fighting, or in the case of Sagaing, is a stronghold of the People’s Defense Forces, the unity government’s armed wing that opposes the coup.
U Han from the Myanmar Internet Project told VOA that the consequences of cutting phone access in the midst of fighting and a “political volatile situation” is troubling.
“It has a direct impact on all the daily life activities of people of all walks of life, and because of what happens, it affects human rights,” he said.
Since the military seized power in February 2021, it has sought to block access to independent news and information. Media licenses were revoked, internet blocked and dozens of journalists jailed.
At least 176 journalists have been arrested and four killed, with as many as 50 still in jail or in police detention, according to the International Federation of Journalists.
The military council has not responded to VOA’s questions about internet restrictions. It has previously denied targeting media.
Data by media watchdogs and rights groups, however, show Myanmar has a poor record in upholding freedoms.
Freedom House says Myanmar is the second-worst country globally, after China, for suppression and violating digital rights. Reporters Without Borders ranks the country 171 out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index, where 1 shows the best environment.
The watchdog says that journalism in Myanmar is “an extremely dangerous profession” and notes “significant risks of [media workers] being tortured, jailed or murdered.”
This story originated in VOA’s Burmese Service.
