Claiming to want to ensure “stability” in the nation, the junta that launched a military coup in Myanmar on Monday has blocked Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The Ministry of Communications and Information wrote in a letter posted online: “People who are disrupting the stability of the country… are spreading fake news and misinformation and causing misunderstandings among the people using the Facebook", reported Reuters. The social network's blocking should last until February 7, according to the Ministry.
Myanmar citizens opposed to the coup had been organizing on Facebook before the lockdown. Of the country’s 53 million people, about half use the social network. Yanghee Lee, a U.N. investigator in the Southeast Asian nation, said in 2018 that in Myanmar “everything is done through Facebook.” On Tuesday, for example, medical professionals organized through the platform for a march coming out of 70 local hospitals. Now the country's activists are apparently using the Bridgefy offline messaging app to communicate.
Myanmar military junta blocks Facebook. Image: Kan Sangtong (Shutterstock)
Facebook has already generated several controversies when it comes to Myanmar. The platform was criticized for failing to properly censor hate speech against the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority. The Rohingya have suffered persecution for years, but Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s elected leader, has always looked the other way. Suu Kyi was arrested after the coup, as were many other elected officials.
Andy Stone, a spokesman for the company, confirmed that Myanmar had indeed blocked Facebook and said: “We urge authorities to restore connectivity so that people in the country can communicate with family and friends, and access important information.”
Through which channels you reach those people, classic and out of the box. Business Insider
Image: Soft_Light (iStock)
