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Facebook blocked by Myanmar junta days after coup in bid to shut down dissent
- A letter posted online by the Ministry of Communications and Information said services would be unavailable until February 7 for the sake of ‘stability’
- Signs of public anger over the military takeover are flickering in Myanmar after calls for protest were made on social media
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Myanmar’s junta blocked Facebook and other messaging services in the name of ensuring stability on Thursday as they consolidate power following a coup and the detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The move to silence online activists came after Myanmar police filed charges against Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi for illegally importing communications equipment, and as international pressure grew on the junta to accept the results of November elections won by her party in a landslide.
Inside the country opposition to the junta had emerged very strongly on Facebook, which is the main internet platform for much of the country and underpins communications for business and government.
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People in Yangon and other cities banged on pots and pans and honked car horns for a second night on Wednesday in protest against Monday’s coup. Images of the protests had circulated widely on Facebook.
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Myanmar military coup: Yangon residents make noise to protest against army takeover
Myanmar military coup: Yangon residents make noise to protest against army takeover
The social network has also been used to share images of a campaign of disobedience by staff at government hospitals across the country, who accuse the army of putting its interests above a coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 3,100 people, one of the highest tolls in Southeast Asia.
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