Burning Down Myanmar's Internet Firewall

[Mid]

Burning down Myanmar's Internet firewall

By Shawn W Crispin

Sep 21, 2007

YANGON - Myanmar maintains some of the world's most restrictive Internet controls, including government-administered blocks on foreign news sites and the use of popular e-mail services. But when politically sensitive fuel-price protests broke out last month in the old capital city Yangon, government censors proved powerless to stop the outflow of information and images over the Internet to the outside world.

State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) authorities have increased their efforts to curb local and foreign media coverage of the protests and their heavy-handed response against demonstrators. Pro-government thugs have been deployed to harass and intimidate local journalists and camera-carriers, some of whom have had their mobile-phone services cut.

Authorities initially ordered a blackout on all local media coverage of the protests and have since crafted and placed articles in mouthpiece media criticizing the protest leaders they have detained. But the government is losing decidedly its most crucial censorship battle: over the Internet. Despite government bans, journalists and dissidents continue to send information and video clips of the protests over the Internet to foreign-based news organizations.

Exile-run media have published detailed blow-by-blow accounts and explicit video clips of government crackdowns. Popular video-sharing website YouTube is flush with footage of the protests posted by citizen journalists under Burmese names, including one posting by a user who apparently uses the same name as SPDC leader General Than Shwe. The Thailand-based, exile-run Irrawaddy - a la CNN - has called on the Myanmar population to play the role of citizen journalists and send information to their newsdesk.

snip

atimes.com

[OneeyedJohn]

Burning down Myanmar's Internet firewall

By Shawn W Crispin

Sep 21, 2007

[

Tomorrows news eh?

[Mid]

fast this interweb thingy .........................

[sutnyod]

When I went to Burma first time, I could not use web-based mail, but my paid one. From the second time onwards even that was not possible anymore. Let's see what's next.

[Mid]

Let's see what's next.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/

[Crushdepth]

Things have improved a bit. 5 years ago when I first visited there were 2 public locations where you could use the internet (basically, with someone looking over your shoulder). You could email from a hotel - for 1$ per 10k file size ($100 / mb, no I am not kidding) and the messages were filtered somewhere - I sent a few cracking a few junta jokes and those never arrived.

Now, there are private internet cafes but they seem to have 1 email address per cafe, so the incentive for shops not to let people do anything naughty is quite strong.

It'll get better. I still think 'The New Light of Myanmar' is a much better read in terms of information and censorship thereof than the New Strait Times (I think it is called) in Malaysia. Man, that is a rabid/crap newspaper.

Edited September 20, 2007 by Crushdepth

[visionary]

I suspect that there is more effort to censor Myanmar from opposition forces on the outside than there is from the government. I gave up on trying to find anyone that had anything good to say about Myanmar. I also gave up on finding statements of defense posted by the Myanmar government. The net is flooded with pro democracy horror stories that I believe are probably pure bull. Censorship regarding Myanmar is definitely happening by some big brother force representing the global business mafia mentality.

The most positive word on conditions in Myanmar comes from the pictures posted by pro democracy forces. The alleged victims of oppression appear to be quite happy, well clothed and well fed.I could go to any downtown corner here in Canada and find more convincing photo's of suffering and despair.

When I compare Thai and Burman photos to Canadian realities I feel that both the Thai and Myanmar governments should be commended while our Canadian democratic masters deserve a kick in the butt.

[Mid]

I suspect that there is more effort to censor Myanmar from opposition forces on the outside than there is from the government. I gave up on trying to find anyone that had anything good to say about Myanmar. I also gave up on finding statements of defense posted by the Myanmar government. The net is flooded with pro democracy horror stories that I believe are probably pure bull. Censorship regarding Myanmar is definitely happening by some big brother force representing the global business mafia mentality.

The most positive word on conditions in Myanmar comes from the pictures posted by pro democracy forces. The alleged victims of oppression appear to be quite happy, well clothed and well fed.I could go to any downtown corner here in Canada and find more convincing photo's of suffering and despair.

When I compare Thai and Burman photos to Canadian realities I feel that both the Thai and Myanmar governments should be commended while our Canadian democratic masters deserve a kick in the butt.

blatherreview.mu.nu

rubyan.com

[Florin]

I still think 'The New Light of Myanmar' is a much better read in terms of information and censorship thereof than the New Strait Times (I think it is called) in Malaysia. Man, that is a rabid/crap newspaper.

Ah come on, you can't be serious...it looks like it's printed on reused toilet paper and contained ridiculous bits of info, like the opening of a wooden bridge over a stream

[nikster]

When I compare Thai and Burman photos to Canadian realities I feel that both the Thai and Myanmar governments should be commended while our Canadian democratic masters deserve a kick in the butt.

My friend, it's time for holiday in Burma to see for yourself. I think you will suddenly develop a new love for the Canadian democratic system... 1 day should suffice.

Edited September 20, 2007 by nikster

[cdnvic]

I suspect that there is more effort to censor Myanmar from opposition forces on the outside than there is from the government. I gave up on trying to find anyone that had anything good to say about Myanmar. I also gave up on finding statements of defense posted by the Myanmar government. The net is flooded with pro democracy horror stories that I believe are probably pure bull. Censorship regarding Myanmar is definitely happening by some big brother force representing the global business mafia mentality.

The most positive word on conditions in Myanmar comes from the pictures posted by pro democracy forces. The alleged victims of oppression appear to be quite happy, well clothed and well fed.I could go to any downtown corner here in Canada and find more convincing photo's of suffering and despair.

When I compare Thai and Burman photos to Canadian realities I feel that both the Thai and Myanmar governments should be commended while our Canadian democratic masters deserve a kick in the butt.

Maybe we'll pass the hat to buy you a ticket out and improve things greatly here. One less whiner would be a good thing for Canada. We have enough already.

[Crushdepth]

Ah come on, you can't be serious...it looks like it's printed on reused toilet paper and contained ridiculous bits of info, like the opening of a wooden bridge over a stream huh.gif

It's Myanmar, that's news. (Boring I grant you).

The New Straits Times deserves to be printed on resued toilet paper. An equivalent story in that rag would go something like 'the evil western capitalist/speculator scum plotting to ruin the Malaysian economy yesterday erected a bridge to facilitate their shameless exploitation of our natural resources. The opposition, recently freed from prison for being communist bastards, fully supported this disgraceful initiative.'

Ok so I exaggerate, but that's the general gist of it. The New Light of Myanmar engages on its share of US-bashing and pro-China arse kissing, but to a more subdued extent. The New STrait Times is considerably more rabid and no better at all in terms of political censorship.

I'm not saying the New Light of Myanmar is good, I'm saying its 'less bad'. :-)

[ashacat]

I suspect that there is more effort to censor Myanmar from opposition forces on the outside than there is from the government. I gave up on trying to find anyone that had anything good to say about Myanmar. I also gave up on finding statements of defense posted by the Myanmar government. The net is flooded with pro democracy horror stories that I believe are probably pure bull. Censorship regarding Myanmar is definitely happening by some big brother force representing the global business mafia mentality.

The most positive word on conditions in Myanmar comes from the pictures posted by pro democracy forces. The alleged victims of oppression appear to be quite happy, well clothed and well fed.I could go to any downtown corner here in Canada and find more convincing photo's of suffering and despair.

When I compare Thai and Burman photos to Canadian realities I feel that both the Thai and Myanmar governments should be commended while our Canadian democratic masters deserve a kick in the butt.

Are you for real? Have you ever left Canada?

[phazey]

Yet again the media is stuffed with utter uneducated nonsense. Free sign up email is blocked for a reason no one ever thinks of yet are suprised when they hear it, and in most cases nod with agreement seeing the point. Some first world mobile carriers block more than Myanmar - no onekicks up a fuss there.....I'd be foolish to say more, but one day will have my rant.

[Mid]

Burma cyber-dissidents crack censorship

By Stephanie Holmes

BBC News

Burma's street protests have been made visible by bloggers

Burma's bloggers are using the internet to beat censorship, and tell the world what is happening under the military junta's veil of secrecy.

Images of orange-robed monks leading throngs of people along the streets of Rangoon have been seeping out of a country famed for its totalitarian regime and repressive control of information.

The pictures are sometimes grainy and the video footage shaky - captured at great personal risk on mobile phones - but each represents a powerful statement of political dissent.

"It is amazing how the Burmese are able through underground networks to get things from outside and inside," says Vincent Brussels, head of the Asian section of press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders.

"Before, they were moving things hand-to-hand and now they are using the internet - proxy websites, Google and YouTube and all these things."

snip

news.bbc.co.uk

[Mid]

Comment: sanctions alone will not help Burmese people

From Times Online

September 26, 2007

Buddhist monks look on as armed police block off a street in downtown Yangon (AFP/Getty)

snip

But the international outrage at the crackdown has arisen because, for the first time, we have been able to see what is happening, in detail. The internet and mobile phones have made it possible for images to get out - and to be relayed back to the Burmese themselves - which would have been suppressed in years past.

That may prove to be the outside world’s most powerful effect on Burma and in provoking a final overthrow of the generals or forcing a compromise. Burmese people’s awareness of the extraordinary development of their neighbours, including Vietnam, means that the pressure on the generals will not fade.

timesonline.co.uk

[Mid]

Technology gives world rare view of Myanmar's rage

Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:04 AM EDT

By Ed Cropley

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Secret networks of dissident citizen reporters operating beneath the noses of government spies in army-ruled Myanmar are giving the world unprecedented glimpses of the biggest anti-junta protests in two decades.

With foreign journalists barred from what is one of the world's most closed states, much of the worldwide media coverage is coming from exiled newshounds in countries such as Thailand and India -- and their clandestine contacts on the inside.

Technology ranging from the latest Internet gizmo to satellite uplinks to camera phones are ensuring pictures of the massed marches of monks and civilians and the response by security forces is on TV screens around the world in hours.

The contrast to Myanmar's last major uprising, in 1988, could not be more stark. Then, as many as 3,000 people were killed when soldiers opened fire on the crowds but it took days for the news -- let alone pictures or video footage -- to emerge.

"The difference is night and day," said Dominic Faulder, a Bangkok-based British reporter during the 1988 uprising.

snip

ca.today.reuters.com

[Crushdepth]

I fear that violence is now inevitable, very sad :-(

[Mid]

Junta blocks popular blogs

Nam Davies (Mizzima News)

September 26, 2007 - The Burmese military junta is now desperate to stop information of the turmoil in the country filtering out to the rest of the world. It has blocked some domestic blogs today at about 6 p.m. to restrict and stop free flow of information.

The authorities blocked popular blogs http://www.kohtike.blogspot.com, http://niknayman.blogspot.com and http://soneseyar.blogspot.com which continuously posted news and photographs of ongoing protests against the fuel price hike and economic hardship.

snip

mizzima.com

[Mid]

Blogs evade news ban in Myanmar

Mathew Ingram, today at 10:37 AM EDT

snip

The latest example of this phenomenon in action is the steady flow -- or at least trickle -- of information that has come out of Myanmar over the past week, as hundreds of thousands of Buddhist monks have taken to the streets to protest the totalitarian rule of the military junta that controls the country (formerly known as Burma). Although many of the posts are written in English, some are unreadable because they are written in Burmese, the language spoken by citizens of Myanmar (which is related to languages spoken in Tibet and China).

As a story in The Age notes, posting photos on blogs or even sending them via cellphone can put a Myanmar resident at risk of arrest, or worse. One blogger known as Moezack was posting photos of the protests regularly, according to a Myanmar native who runs a website for ex-patriates in Thailand, but his blog has since gone dark. Another prominent blog that has been posting updates comes from someone called Ko-Htike, who appears to work in the emergency department of a Myanmar hospital. He has been posting his thoughts as well as photos.

Another blogger named Mr. Jade has also been posting photos of the protests, including recent attacks on monks by Myanmar police and members of the army. According to at least one report, the army has been dressing soldiers in local police uniforms to try and disguise the fact that the military is part of the crackdown. One place Myanmar residents and ex-patriates have been getting information about the protests is a newspaper-style website called Mizzima. The site won an award from the International Press Institute earlier this year for its reporting.

snip

theglobeandmail.com

[Mid]

Eyewitness reports from bloggers inside Burma

From Times Online

September 26, 2007

Tom Whipple and Thant Zin

Riot police entered the streets of Rangoon to limit democracy protests led by monks

With the Burmese government restricting visas to foreign journalists, and all internal media controlled by the state, the internet provides one of the few routes left for getting eyewitness reports from inside Burma to the outside world. Despite rumours that the junta intends to close down internet access, a few brave bloggers continue to report their experiences.

One of the soldiers was shooting into the crowd near by the Sualae Pagoda. People can see that the solider is not a professional, because so many of his bullets went up into the sky, and also into the restaurant and a man was hit.

From ko-htike.blogspot.com

snip

timesonline.co.uk

Edited September 27, 2007 by Mid

[Mid]

Junta blocking news from trickling out of Myanmar

Posted : Thu, 27 Sep 2007 08:01:15 GMT

Author : Syed Zarir Hussain

Moreh (Myanmar-India border), Sep 27 - The military junta in Myanmar has launched a massive drive to restrict information on the ongoing crackdown on monks by jamming Internet connectivity and telephones, besides blocking blogs.

The only source of information for most Myanmarese is now the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), a dissident radio and television network from Oslo.

'Most of the telephone lines are either not working or jammed, while Internet connections are more or less paralysed since Wednesday night,' Kyaw Than, president of the All Burmese Students' League, told IANS at this town in India's northeastern state Manipur.

Than is in exile since the junta's crackdown on democracy activists in 1988. He now shuttles between Manipur capital Imphal and New Delhi.

snip

earthtimes.org

[ThaidleHands]

I still think 'The New Light of Myanmar' is a much better read in terms of information and censorship thereof than the New Strait Times (I think it is called) in Malaysia. Man, that is a rabid/crap newspaper.

Ah come on, you can't be serious...it looks like it's printed on reused toilet paper and contained ridiculous bits of info, like the opening of a wooden bridge over a stream

So Trink finally found a new job?

[Mid]

Burmese Bloggers By-Pass Censors

September 27, 2007

Bloggers, aided by an army of civilian journalists sending videos and photographs by mobile phone are letting the world know what is going on inside Burma, as the monks continue their protests against the military regime.

This picture received by the MoeMaka Media blog on Sept. 27 shows protesters gathering in the streets of downtown Yangon.

The world has been watching as thousands of saffron-robed monks march through the streets of the Burmese captial Yangon in protest against the repressive military regime -- thanks to the images seeping out of the country via the Internet. While foreign journalists are being refused visas and are forced to wait in Bangkok hotels, ordinary Burmese are taking huge risks by taking photographs and blogging to communicate with the outside world

snip

spiegel.de

[LivinLOS]

Yet again the media is stuffed with utter uneducated nonsense. Free sign up email is blocked for a reason no one ever thinks of yet are suprised when they hear it, and in most cases nod with agreement seeing the point. Some first world mobile carriers block more than Myanmar - no onekicks up a fuss there.....I'd be foolish to say more, but one day will have my rant.

And the reason is ??

Which first world ones ??

[Mid]

Note to despots: You can't kill the internet

Burma's wave of dissent floods through firewall

By Chris Williams

Published Thursday 27th September 2007 13:12 GMT

The latest reports from the turmoil in Burma say at least one person died and many were wounded today when police again shot at protesters on the streets of Rangoon.

Until now, one of the most striking things about the monk-led uprising has been the volume of information that has been escaping about the usually secretive regime's activities.

Citizens have been using mobile phones, cyber cafes, and according to some reports, internet connections controlled by foreign embassies to get news to the outside world.

Blood on the streets [via ko-htike.blogspot.com]

The junta now seems to have recognised that worldwide communications networks make the kind of hammer blow it delivered when it murdered 3,000 democracy campaigners in 1989 a difficult PR proposition.

According to free speech advocate Reporters Without Borders, they've swooped to cut off channels over the last few days.

snip

theregister.co.uk

Edited September 27, 2007 by Mid

[Mid]

Blogs helping expose Myanmar horrors

September 27, 2007 -- Updated 0347 GMT (1147 HKT)

By Wayne Drash and Phil Black

CNN

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Armed with a laptop, a blogger named Ko Htike has thrust himself into the middle of the violent crackdown against monks and other peaceful demonstrators in his homeland of Myanmar.

Ko Htike runs his Myanmar blog out of his London apartment and says he's trying to stop the violence.

From more than 5,500 miles away, he's one of the few people getting much needed information out to the world.

He runs the blog out of his London apartment, waking up at 3 a.m. every day to review the latest digitally smuggled photos, video and information that's sent in to him.

snip

Ko Htike runs his Myanmar blog out of his London apartment and says he's trying to stop the violence.

edition.cnn.com

http://ko-htike.blogspot.com/

[Mid]

28 September 2007

Hackers exploit crisis in Burma to spread Trojan horse

Email links to Dalai Lama's genuine website, but attachment is malicious

Taking advantage of international concern regarding the daily demonstrations in Burma, IT security and control firm Sophos has cautioned computer users to be wary of a malicious email which claims to be a message of support for monks and other protesters in Burma from the Dalai Lama. In reality, however, it carries a malicious attack designed to infect the recipient's PC.

The email reads as follows:

Dear Friends & Colleagues, Please find enclosed a massage from His Holiness the Dalai Lama in support of the recent pro-democracy demonstrations taking place in Burma. This is for your information and can be distributed as you see fit.

Best wishes.

Tenzin Taklha

Joint Secretary

Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama

When users open the attached document (filename: hhdl burma_001.doc), it attempts to exploit a Word vulnerability which in turn tries to download a Trojan horse onto the victim's PC. Sophos proactively detects the malicious document as Exp/1Table-B and the Trojan it tries to download from the internet as Agent-CGU.

Sophos experts note that to add even more credibility to the message and to encourage a greater number of victims to open the attachment, a link to official website of the Dalai Lama was included.

The email links to the genuine Dalai Lama website in an attempt to look more credible.

"The Burmese regime is said to have tried to stop news from coming out of the country by shutting down internet cafes and controlling computer users' access to the net. People around the world are hungry to hear about the latest situation in the country and support the pro-democracy movement, and may be tempted to read this so-called letter from the Dalai Lama," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "Using topical news stories to trick unwary computer users into opening and downloading malicious code is one of the oldest tricks in the book, but it's obviously still working or the hackers wouldn't waste their time on it. We should all use our common sense and question the legitimacy of emails sent out of the blue."

Learn more about the threat in this blog entry by Fraser Howard of SophosLabs

Sophos recommends companies protect themselves with a consolidated solution which can control network access and defend against the threats of spam, hackers, spyware and viruses.

sophos.com

[Veazer]

I suspect that there is more effort to censor Myanmar from opposition forces on the outside than there is from the government. I gave up on trying to find anyone that had anything good to say about Myanmar. I also gave up on finding statements of defense posted by the Myanmar government. The net is flooded with pro democracy horror stories that I believe are probably pure bull. Censorship regarding Myanmar is definitely happening by some big brother force representing the global business mafia mentality.

The most positive word on conditions in Myanmar comes from the pictures posted by pro democracy forces. The alleged victims of oppression appear to be quite happy, well clothed and well fed.I could go to any downtown corner here in Canada and find more convincing photo's of suffering and despair.

When I compare Thai and Burman photos to Canadian realities I feel that both the Thai and Myanmar governments should be commended while our Canadian democratic masters deserve a kick in the butt.

Any more words of wisdom for us?

[Taggart]

A Burmese dissident living here in Canada said on the CBC radio this morning, that he got through to a relative last night, and was told one of the army regiments had defected and joined the Burmese people. I can only hope it's true, and not just a false rumor.

-------------------------------------------------------

Richard S. Ehrlich, Chronicle Foreign Service

Friday, September 28, 2007

Bloggers in Burma keep world informed during military crackdown

(09-28) 04:00 PDT Bangkok -- Dodging a deadly military crackdown that has killed at least nine protesters, Burmese bloggers are on the front lines, providing news and photos of death and insurrection.