back to article Internet blackout of Myanmar States that are home to ethnic minorities enters second year

The internet blackout in towns in two states of Myanmar (Burma) has entered a second year. Myanmar’s government imposed the blackouts in Rakhine State and Chin State on June 21st, 2019, citing security concerns as justification. The situation in both states is complex. Rakhine was home to Myanmar’s largest Muslim population, …

  1. pradeepvasudev

    And others

    https://thediplomat.com/2019/03/balochistans-great-internet-shutdown/

    https://www.farwestchina.com/blog/truth-about-xinjiangs-internet/

    Tough neighborhood.

    1. Khaptain Silver badge

      Re: And others

      I can easily imagine that the Great Orange One has already drafted up his first process for restricting Internet Access to the various naysayers of the nation... Certainly after this weeks apparent TikTok Ticket fiasco.

      1. Jamie Jones Silver badge

        Re: And others

        Why is he denying that the tik-tok/k-pop people affected his rally attendance? Surely it's the perfect excuse he can use to justify why only 6,000 nutters turned up.

  2. cantankerous swineherd

    b b but the internet routes around that.

    1. Jamie Jones Silver badge

      You can't take another road if no other roads exist!

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
        Pirate

        So, how exactly do people connect up His Muskiness' Starlink network?

        1. Jamie Jones Silver badge
          Happy

          Ahhhh. You got me..I can't think of a witty response either!

  3. aberglas

    Attempted genocide of the Rohingya

    Myanmar is about a lot more than just internet. It is attempted genocide. The Rohingya rot in camps in Bangladesh with the Myanmar army killing any left behind.

    It is truly terrible. And Australia's inaction is apauling.

    1. alain williams Silver badge

      Re: Attempted genocide of the Rohingya

      Everyone's inaction is appalling.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Attempted genocide of the Rohingya

        Yes, the Nobel committee need to get off their arses and revoke Aung San Suu Kyi's peace prize. I don't really care that the rules don't allow it - time for new rules.

        1. Claptrap314 Silver badge

          Re: Attempted genocide of the Rohingya

          You need to look closely at the list of recipients of that award, and what they had done BEFORE receiving it.

          It's been a sick joke for quite a long time.

    2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: Attempted genocide of the Rohingya

      "And Australia's inaction is apauling."

      Why single out Australia? They are long way away and don't have a direct border. Surely the prime movers in dealing with this appalling situation ought to be Bangladesh, Thailand or China as their direct neighbours. (Ok, maybe not China)

  4. John Savard

    Puzzled

    I really don't understand. Since members of the various ethnic minorities are clearly coming to harm in Burma, why hasn't this been stopped by the United States or other major Western world powers carrying out regime change in Burma to prevent this?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Puzzled

      The sarcasm is strong with this one.

      1. Paratrooping Parrot
        Mushroom

        Re: Puzzled

        The only reason they refuse to act is that the State Counsellor is none other than Western darling, "human rights activist" Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

        1. MiguelC Silver badge
        2. x 7

          Re: Puzzled

          The daughter follows the father..........

          don't forget that during WWII he was a pro-Japanese terrorist who hated the pro-British elements within Burma - especially the Muslim groups and tribes.

          Of course he became pro-British when Japan started retreating and losing........

          He was a violent hypocrite, she's the same

          1. pradeepvasudev

            Re: Puzzled

            The reason why he was so loved in Burma was because he fought against the british and supported the japanese. and when they came and occupied burma brutally, he had the guts to admit his mistake, in public, to the people, and then asked them for support to throw out the japanese too. perhaps we all need leaders who are that self-reflective, humble, and honest.

            Another point: everyone here is going on about how the Rohingyas are being ill-treated. Sitting here in India, still a few thousand miles away, we have a slightly different perspective. The Rohingya changed the demography of north burma by force settlement, much like Bangladeshi illegal immigrants changed the demography of the border districts of Assam state and West Bengal state in India. Add to that, the forced conversions, rape, and mass murder of the minority-within-minority hindu rohingyas at the hands of muslim rohingyas.

            Are the rohingyas being ill-treated? Yes. Big time.

            Are the rohingyas being bastards as well? Yes. Would be big time if they had the firepower.

            Everyone is in the gutter here.

    2. Steve K

      Re: Puzzled

      Because there is no oil to be found there?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Puzzled

      I really don't understand...

      I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that the Western world powers are no longer major importers of Myanmar's natural gas and oil and so couldn't give a flying fuck. No, nothing to do with that at all...

  5. Paul Smith

    Starlink ?

    Is this not the one, and perhaps only, justification for the existence of the Starlink constellation? Regimes can get away with extreme behaviour by controlling access to information, remove that control and you remove the ability of a regime to be extreme. Instead, it is being used as a private beta program to measure profit potential in north America. Sad, very sad.

    1. Claptrap314 Silver badge

      Re: Starlink ?

      I lack access to the numbers to know the hard limits, but from my time in satellite communications, I suspect that these low, cheap, commercial satellites could be DOSed from the ground while over even a weak nation-state that really wanted to block them.

      If that does not work, flying over anyone trying to use them with a receiver & some sort of HARM would be quite discouraging to potential users.

  6. Aquatyger

    The Rohingya are not exactly blameless

    After all, when the Brits armed them in 1944 to help expel the Japanese from Burma, instead the Rohinga proceeded to kill or displace about half a million Burmese. Since then they have tried through violence to have an independent Islamic state in Burma. So why would you want them?

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