NGOs Call on Myanmar to Restore Mobile Internet Access in Rakhine, Chin States
Twenty-nine national and international non-governmental organizations issued a joint statement on Thursday urging Myanmar's authorities to cancel the reinstatement of mobile internet restrictions in five towns in the Rakhine and Chin states, saying that such measures hindered the groups' work in these areas and seriously affected civilian lived
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th February, 2020) Twenty-nine national and international non-governmental organizations issued a joint statement on Thursday urging Myanmar's authorities to cancel the reinstatement of mobile internet restrictions in five towns in the Rakhine and Chin states, saying that such measures hindered the groups' work in these areas and seriously affected civilian lives.
Western Myanmar has been rocked by tensions between national security forces and the Rohingya, thousands of whom have been forced to flee. The internet access restrictions were initially imposed last June in eight towns in Rakhine and one town in Chin, but were partially lifted in September. However, on February 3, the Ministry of Transport and Communications decided to reimpose restrictions in five towns, attributing the move to the "security requirement and public interest."
"We, the 29 undersigned organizations, call on the Government of Myanmar to immediately lift restrictions on mobile internet communications in eight townships in Rakhine State and one township in Chin State.
We are particularly concerned by the Government of Myanmar's recent reinstatement of restrictions on mobile internet access in five townships on 3 February 2020, after lifting restrictions in those townships earlier," the statement said.
The NGOs also urged Myanmar to disclose all explanations for the shutdown, suggesting that it might have something to do with the escalation between the ethnic Rakhine Arakan Army and the Myanmar military � since the beginning of 2019, the fighting between the sides has led to the displacement of tens of thousands of civilians.
"The internet restrictions disproportionately affect civilians in conflict areas, hampering humanitarian aid operations, livelihoods, and the work of human rights monitors," the statement continued.
The NGOs added that the restrictions made it difficult to assess Myanmar's compliance with the recent ruling by the International Court of Justice to protect the Rohingya population.
The letter was published on the website of Amnesty International, which was among the organizations that signed the letter.