Internet shut, but protests rage
Myanmar coup: Junta blocks Twitter and Instagram, UN makes first contact with military top brass
YANGON/GENEVA: Myanmar’s new military rulers appeared to have cut access to the internet on Saturday as they faced a rising tide of protests over their coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected civilian government.
Numerous internet users noted a slow disappearance of services, especially from mobile service providers, that accelerated sharply on Saturday morning. Broadband connection also later failed, while there were mixed reports on whether landline telephone service was still working.
Netblocks, a London-based service that tracks internet disruptions and shutdowns, said on Saturday that “a near-total internet shutdown is now in effect” in Myanmar, with connectivity falling to just 16% of normal levels.
The broad outage followed Friday’s government order to block Twitter and Instagram that said some people were trying to use the platforms to spread what it deemed fake news. Facebook had already been blocked earlier in the week, though not completely.
The blockages are adding urgency to efforts to resist the coup, with Saturday seeing some of the largest street protests against the takeover. In what appeared to be the main one, about 1,000 protesters marched down a main street in Yangon and were met by riot police.
Earlier on Friday, nearly 300 elected lawmakers from Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party declared themselves as the sole legitimate representatives of the people and asked for international recognition as the country’s government.
UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said a special envoy to the country made “first contact” with Myanmar’s deputy military commander to urge the junta to relinquish power. State media in Myanmar reported on Saturday that junta figures had spoken with diplomats the previous day to respond to an international outcry and asked them to work with the new leaders.