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Myanmar’s military government reportedly arrested at least three protesters on Thursday hours after blocking Facebook and other social media platforms in a bid to quell dissent after detaining the country’s elected leaders and seizing power in a coup State which, according to the head of the United Nations, must fail.
Facebook, used by about half of Myanmar’s 53 million people, has become a key platform for opposition to Monday’s coup, with photos of civil disobedience campaigns and nighttime banter protests. -casserole widely shared.
The Communications and Transport Ministry said the restrictions will remain in place until February 7.
“Currently, the people who are disturbing the stability of the country… are spreading false news and disinformation and causing misunderstanding among people by using Facebook,” the ministry said in a letter.
The police action comes after street protests erupted in Mandalay’s second-largest city against the coup that toppled Democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
A video on Facebook showed around 20 people outside of Mandalay Medical University, according to Reuters. A banner read “People protest against military coup”.
To silence online activity
The decision to shut down online activity came after police filed charges against former leader Suu Kyi, who has not been seen since she was arrested in the wee hours of Monday morning, for illegal importation of communications equipment, and as the United Nations has said. it could mobilize an international response to the military takeover.
NetBlocks, which monitors online services around the world, said restrictions on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp by internet provider MPT appeared to have spilled over to other providers. People were using VPNs to bypass blocks, he said.
“Facebook products are now restricted to multiple ISPs in #Myanmar, as operators comply with an apparent blocking order,” Netblocks wrote on Twitter.
Facebook, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, has confirmed the disruption.
Facebook spokesman Andy Stone urged authorities to restore connectivity “so the people of Myanmar can communicate with their families and friends and access important information.”
Facebook is the internet in Myanmar #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar https://t.co/4xgfGYljyC
– Verena Hölzl (@verenahoelzl) February 4, 2021
Section 77 of the Telecommunications Act is used to block #Facebook
This is the reason why we have campaigned against the telecommunications law so harshly for 4 years in the NLD-led Parliament to erase these articles. But they didn’t. Now the military is using them to do exactly what we were afraid to do. 😖😡
– Thinzar Shunlei Yi (inthinzashunleiyi) February 4, 2021
Section 77 of the Telecommunications Act is used to block #Facebook
This is the reason why we have campaigned against the Telecommunications Act so harshly for 4 years in the NLD-led Parliament to erase these articles. But they didn’t. Now the military is using them to do exactly what we were afraid to do. 😖😡
– Thinzar Shunlei Yi (inthinzashunleiyi) February 4, 2021
Most Burmese access Facebook through their cellphones and it is also a crucial medium for business and government communication, although it has been linked to hate speech and disinformation.
“The internet didn’t really become accessible to most people until after 2011,” said Hervé Lemahieu, director of the Power and Diplomacy program at the Australian Lowy Institute at Al Jazeera. “(The blockade) will be terrible in terms of the consequences not only in terms of organizing a response to this coup, but also in terms of the day-to-day conduct of business and economic activity. These platforms are absolutely essential and have become so over the past 10 years. “
Aung San Suu Kyi, the founder of the National League for Democracy (NLD) is under house arrest in the capital, Naypyidaw, according to her party, but the generals have not commented on her whereabouts.
The NLD won around 80% of the vote in the polls on Nov. 8, according to the Election Commission, but the military refused to accept the result, making unsubstantiated allegations of fraud.
The United Nations has said it will increase international pressure to ensure that the will of the people is respected.
“We will do everything in our power to mobilize all key players and the international community to exert sufficient pressure on Myanmar so that this coup fails,” the United Nations Secretary-General said on Wednesday. , Antonio Guterres, in an interview broadcast by The Washington Post. .
Armored vehicles of the Burmese army in the streets of Mandalay after the seizure of power by the army on Monday. UN chief Antonio Guterres says UN will do everything possible to make coup fail [Stringer/Reuters]
“This is absolutely unacceptable after an election – an election which I believe went normally – and after a long period of transition.”
Reports on Thursday of the first street protest against the coup in the city of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city. Riot police broke up a small protest and people fled in all directions, according to the Myanmar Now news site.
“ Ridiculous ” accusations
Police said six walkie-talkie radios were found during a search of Aung San Suu Kyi’s home in Naypyidaw, claiming they were illegally imported and used without permission.
ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), a group of lawmakers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, called the charges against Aung San Suu Kyi ridiculous.
“This is an absurd decision by the junta to try to legitimize their illegal takeover,” APRH chairman and Malaysian MP Charles Santiago said in a statement, urging the international community to intervene.
“We’ve been here before. ASEAN and the international community all know where this is likely to lead: a return to a ruthless military dictatorship.
In court documents, the police demanded the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi “in order to interview witnesses, request evidence and seek a lawyer after questioning the defendant.”
A separate document showed police also filed a complaint against ousted President Win Myint, who was also arrested on Monday, for violating protocols to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
As the leader of Myanmar’s democratic movement, Aung San Suu Kyi spent approximately 15 years under house arrest between 1989 and 2010 and remains extremely popular at home despite the damage to her international reputation due to the plight of the predominantly Muslim Rohingya. from the country.
The military had ruled Myanmar from 1962 until the NLD gained power in 2015 under a constitution drafted by the generals and guaranteeing them 25% of all seats in parliament and a leading role in it. the government.
The junta led by army chief Gen. Min Aung Hlaing declared a one-year state of emergency and new elections without giving them a timetable.
On Twitter, which remained available in Myanmar, #CivilDisobedienceMovement was the country’s trending hashtag. Right behind was #JusticeForMyanmar.
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