The internet in Myanmar dropped sharply after the military detained leaders of ruling party 'National League for Democracy,' on Monday. The coup will lead the country to return to full military rule after a short span of quasi-democracy, according to BBC report.
Meanwhile, the parliament was scheduled this week to hold its first session since the country’s Nov. 8 elections, in which the National League for Democracy, the country’s leading civilian party, won 83 percent of the body’s available seats.
According to NetBlocks, a non-governmental organization that monitors digital rights, cybersecurity and internet governance around the world, internet disruptions began around 3AM Monday morning local time, with national connectivity falling to 75% of ordinary levels, and then reaching about 50% around 8AM.
Data shows that the cuts affected several network operators, including the state-owned Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) and Telenor.
Some parts of Myanmar, also known as Burma, were more restricted than others. Based at Monash University in Australia, the IP Observatory, which tracks internet connectivity around the world, found that some regions were severely disrupted.
Moreover, the stock market and commercial banks were closed, and long lines were seen outside A.T.M.s in some places. In Yangon, the country’s largest city and former capital, residents ran to markets to stock up on food and other supplies.
Noteworthy, the article 77 of Myanmar's Telecommunications Law, passed in 2013, is used by the government to cut off telecommunications during a national emergency. However, human rights groups have called for the law to be amended to protect freedom of expression and have criticised the broad scope of the law.
Also, there were concerns that health information about Covid-19 was being restricted to some parts of the country, because of an internet shutdown in 2020.
https://twitter.com/netblocks/status/1356029387133562880
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