In 11 more townships in northeastern Myanmar, the military has turned down the internet

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

According to villagers and members of the local resistance groups in the area, the junta cut off mobile internet connectivity and most Wi-Fi services to 11 townships in war-torn districts of Chin State and Magway Region at 6 p.m. on Thursday evening.

Gangaw, Htilin, and Myaing in Magway Region, and Falam, Kanpetlet, Matupi, Mindat, Paletwa, Tedim, Thantlang, and Tonzang in Chin State, are among the townships affected.

Locals said the internet outage will make it harder for them to share and receive information about the region's conditions.

 

“If the internet connection is terminated, the phone connection may be terminated as well.
“I don't believe the situation will be smooth in such case,” a Mindat resident told Myanmar Now.

During a skirmish with the Chinland Defence Force (CDF) on September 22, artillery shells fired by the Myanmar army struck a church and other buildings in Mindat.

On September 18, fighting erupted between the junta's troops and the CDF in Thantlang, forcing nearly the whole town's population to escape.
The junta's artillery bombardment set fire to at least 18 residences and a government building, and a Christian pastor who attempted to put out the fire was shot and killed by Myanmar army personnel.

 

Soldiers severed his left hand's ring finger in order to grab the pastor's wedding band; the incident went viral on social media.

According to inhabitants in Hakha, the capital of Chin State, internet connectivity was still available on Saturday morning.

Myingyan and Mogok in Mandalay Region; Taungdwingyi in Magway Region; and Ayataw, Butalin, Kani, Pale, Taze, Ye-U, and Yinmabin in Sagaing Region have all been without internet since September 14.

Since August, Hpakant in Kachin State has been without internet.

 

On Thursday, 11 townships in Magway and Chin State were added to the blackout, bringing the total number of townships without internet connectivity to 22.

The limits on internet access, according to a spokesperson for the anti-junta Mindat People's Administration Team, were likely timed to coincide with the military's intensification of operations in the region to repress the resistance movement.

“It's either they've shut down the internet and information flow because they're afraid we'll escalate our offensives against them, or they're planning to take the upper hand and begin offensives against us,” the spokesperson added.

 

He emphasised, however, that the absence of internet connection would have little impact on the actions of local guerrilla organisations that do not communicate via the internet.

An official from the Yaw Defence Force (YDF), a local opposition group operating in Magway's Gangaw, Myaing, and Htilin townships, corroborated the Mindat People's Administration Team's assessment of the situation.

“The military turned off the internet because they knew they couldn't win.
It's a tried and true strategy that won't have much of an influence on the revolutionary forces.
Regardless, we will continue to do what we are obliged to do,” the YDF official stated.