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Website supporting Myanmar protests |
When peaceful protests by Buddhist monks began to draw crowds and even closer scrutiny of Myanmar's military leaders, communication lines around the country began to work overtime.
As isolated as it is, Myanmar like the rest of the world, hasn't been left untouched by technology.
The internet became flooded with messages, photos and videos, some by journalists in the country and others by ordinary people with some access, whether direct or indirect, to the internet.
It's no surprise that after unconfirmed reports early into the unrest that some phone connections had been cut, that reports are emerging that internet links in Myanmar are now also running into problems.
A telecom official in Myanmar said Friday that the nation's main link to the
Internet was down, blaming the problem on a damaged cable. "The Internet is not working because the underwater cable is damaged," an official with Myanmar Post and Telecoms told AFP on condition of anonymity.
In Bangkok, an official at a Thai telecom that provides satellite services
to Myanmar also said some Internet service inside the country had been cut.
Most businesses in downtown Yangon, including Internet cafes, have been shut and one western source inside Myanmar said access to emails or Internet has been unavailable since late morning and the help desk at the main Internet service provider did not answer its telephones to explain why there is no access.
But as emails to Channel NewsAsia indicate, word does manage to get through to Myanmar nationals outside the country who have been closely monitoring developments and keeping as many people as possible, from fellow citizens to news organisations, updated of events as they happen.
And while some champion through street rallies held from London to Bangkok, others have been rallying online.
Regular updates come from Citizen reporters some of whom file as quickly as reports by news agencies, while blogs and social networking sites such as Facebook offer video, photos, messages, petitions and news about what is happening in Myanmar.
The network runs into the thousands and each person is as savvy and passionate to the cause as the next, with everything from how to join a protest, to writing to elected officials and companies operating in Myanmar, and mass emails.
All this is added pressure on Myanmar's military junta who've always kept a tight grip on information, heavily censoring newspapers, blocking much of the Internet and rarely allowing foreign journalists into the country.
"I think that they're very frustrated that all these pictures and video footage are getting out, so they're doing their best to try to cut wherever they can," one western diplomat said. - CNA/sf
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