Myanmar says hundreds of thousands of people have been left without internet access

A soldier in Naypyitaw, Myanmar stands near Congress compound of Yangon, Myanmar, February 2, 2021. ReUTERS Stringer File Photo: ReUTERS Stringer File Photo REUTERS -

Sept 17 - 2017 - Around 700,000 people in Myanmar are estimated to have lost internet access after attacks on the telecommunication equipment ran by Mytel, the partly army-controlled company said amid reports that dozens of its towers were damaged.

The explosions have occurred since the National Unity Government NUG a shadow administration to resist the army’s Feb. 1 coup declared last week a people's defensive war against the junta.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since Aung San Suu Kyi's government was toppled, sparking national anger, strikes, protests and the emergence of anti-junta militias.

There has been an upsurge in bloodshed in some areas after the new NUG declared an uprising and called on underground militia known as People's Defence Forces PDF to target the junta and its assets.

The destruction of telecommunications infrastructure is depriving hundreds of thousands of the means to access information, education, and important services on the internet, said a spokesperson for Mytel, a venture between Vietnam's army and Viettel, which is owned by Myanmar defence ministry.

Most attacks occurred in rural areas and more than 80 towers owned by Mytel have been destroyed, with People's Defence Forces claiming responsibility in some areas, according to a report from the independent Irrawaddy newspaper this week.

It did not specify with whom they belong and accused the NUG terrorist organization of encouraging violence.

Videos in social media show explosions at towers that look like body bars. Reuters could not confirm immediately with any PDFs whether they have carried out the attacks.

Earlier in the conflict, the military had at times itself shut down the internet, particularly in cities, in order to curb demonstrators.

The declaration of an uprising came amid opposition frustration at lack of concrete support from around the world in opposition to the junta.

Now people have realized that we must walk until the end regardless of international assistance or not, NUG deputy minister Maw Htun Aung said in a text message.

Yet, while the nug is getting a barrage of support from social media in Myanmar, it remains unclear how much its declaration will threaten a well-equipped military.

I will have high hopes in our revolution if all the PDFs in the country rise up in arms. They are but not ready, says a 27-year-old supporter of the Chinland Defence Force set up in Chin state bordering India.