Human rights groups urge
Myanmar to end world’s longest internet shutdown
 |
| A vegetable vendor waiting for customers in a street in Yangon, Myanmar (AFP) |
Human Rights Watch says that Myanmar government’s internet
blackout and restrictions on access to aid groups in conflict areas of Rakhine
and Chin states, since 21 June 2019, is affecting the rights and safety of more
than a million people.
By Vatican News
Human Rights Watch (HRW), a leading international rights
group based in New York City, is urging the Myanmar government to immediately
lift all internet restrictions in eight townships in Rakhine and Chin
States.
The mobile internet shutdown, which began on June 21, 2019,
is affecting more than a million people living in a conflict zone, Human Rights
Watch said last week.
The internet blackout, along with restrictions on access by
aid agencies, has meant that people in some villages are unaware of the
Covid-19 outbreak, humanitarian workers told HRW.
Insurgency and safety
Since January 2019, the Myanmar military has been engaged in
a bloody confrontation with the Arakan Army (AA), a rebel group fighting for
more autonomy for ethnic Rakhine Buddhists.
Rakhine is also the state from which hundreds of thousands
of Rohingya Muslims fled in 2017 after a military crackdown that the government
said was ordered in response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents.
Over 78,000 internally displaced persons are hosted in 186
sites across Rakhine state and the southern areas of Chin state due to the
fighting, according to a June 16 United Nations report.
Local groups have complained that the shutdown has made it
difficult to coordinate the distribution of aid to conflict-affected
communities, and to communicate with their field teams to ensure staff safety.
Longest government-enforced internet shutdown
Linda Lakhdhir, HRW Asia legal adviser, said it is critical
for civilians to get the necessary information on the conflict “to stay safe.”
“Myanmar should immediately end what is now the world’s longest
government-enforced internet shutdown,” she urged.
The government first imposed restrictions on mobile internet
communications in eight townships in Rakhine state and one in Chin state.
The restrictions were lifted in five townships from September 2019 until
February 2020, when they were reinstated. The authorities lifted the
restrictions in Maungdaw in northern Rakhine on May 2.
On June 12, the Ministry of Transportation and
Communications announced the government would extend the internet shutdown
until at least August 1 in the remaining eight townships, citing security
concerns.
“We will restore internet service if there are no more
threats to the public or violations of the telecommunications law,” said Soe
Thein, the ministry’s permanent secretary, at a media briefing.
Aung Marm Oo, editor of the Sittwe-based Development Media
Group told HRW that its reporters who visited the conflict areas were unable to
send back their material due to lack of internet.
Independent and ethnic media sites such as Development Media
Group, Narinjara, Karen News and Voice of Myanmar are among the many websites
that Myanmar authorities have also blocked.
Violation of multiple rights
HRW said that Article 77 of Myanmar’s Telecommunications
Law, which the government invokes, should be amended to bring it in line with
international standards to protect freedom of expression.
Internet access, the rights group said, plays a crucial role
in enabling people to access information about Covid-19 and self-quarantine,
and to observe other protocols to prevent the spread of the virus. A coalition
of non-governmental organizations has appealed to the World Health Organization
(WHO) to urge Myanmar to end the internet shutdowns amid the pandemic.
Intentionally shutting down or restricting access to the
internet violates multiple rights in addition to freedom of expression, and
undermines efforts to control the virus, HRW said.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét