| Net Shut Off In Burma |
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| ::darkshadows:: (bloody@mary.org) |
2007/09/28 17:40 |
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From: "::darkshadows::" <bloody@mary.org>
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Subject: Net Shut Off In Burma
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Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:40:08 GMT
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September 28, 2007 6:24 AM PDT
Amid political protests, Net shut off in Burma
Posted by Anne Broache
As Burma's military government attempts to suppress the largest
pro-democracy protests by Buddhist monks and civilians in decades,
there are numerous reports on Friday that it has also cut off its
citizens' Internet access and cell phone lines.
Burma--officially the Union of Myanmar--is already labeled by watchdog
groups as one of the most restrictive locales in the world when it
comes to blocking Internet content. But like in China and other
censorship-happy countries, dissidents have come up with technological
work-arounds such as proxies that connect them directly to computers
outside the prohibitive country.
Now there are widespread reports that public Internet cafes have been
shut down, most of the country's cell phone lines have been
disconnected, and the remaining Internet access has made uploading
photos and video of scenes on the ground a snail-like process. Some
groups are exploring buying expensive but less easily restricted
satellite phones to continue their dispatches, according to a Friday
report in The Wall Street Journal.
Some news agencies have reported being told that the Internet
connection has been brought down by a damaged undersea cable, but
diplomats and citizens said they suspect the government is involved.
The shutdown apparently did nothing to keep at least 10,000 protesters
from assembling Friday.
Whatever the reason, the technological restrictions are significant
because the Internet has emerged as one of the primary channels for
sharing images, videos and accounts of the nonviolent demonstrations.
Through blogs, shaky videos shot on cell phone cameras and text
messages, witnesses on the ground have been feeding reports of the
violence to Burmese journalists working in other countries, according
to the Journal. Citizen reporters have even started using the
social-networking site Facebook or slipping news into online greeting
cards to communicate their message to the outside world, Reuters
reported.
The protests have been going on for about a month and have drawn as
many as 70,000 demonstrators to the streets at a time, according to
the Associated Press. At least 10 people have been killed in the past
two days in the largest cities. Thursday marked the most violent day
so far, the AP said, with bloody sandals littering the streets and
protesters shouting pleas for freedom as gun-wielding troops in riot
gear made arrests.
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