The Junta Cuts Off Phone and Internet Services Across Arakan State, Except in Three Townships

 Aye Myat Khaing, Narinjara News, 16 October 2024

All phone and internet services in Arakan State have been suspended by the junta, with the exception of Sittwe, Ann, and Gwa, which are still governed by the military.

Due to the broken connections, locals in the area have not been able to interact since October 12.

"I have not been able to contact my family since the evening of October 12, after witnessing news of airstrikes in Ramree, Taungup, Myebon, and Kyauktaw," said Ma Nwe Chey, a Mrauk-U Township resident who is currently employed in Thailand.

Narinjara News's investigations verify that the formerly connected areas of Kyaukphyu, Manaung, Myebon, Taungup, and Thandwe are now without phone or internet service.

 "MPT is still available here, but the signal is faint," stated a Sittwe resident. I attempted to get in touch with people in neighboring townships, but I was unable."

Another Sittwe woman, who left the fighting for safety in Yangon, talked about her everyday concerns, mentioning that phone connections were cut off when the airstrikes over Arakan State were at their worst.

"I have no means of knowing what is occurring in Arakan now since there is no news," the woman remarked.

 Not only that, but information concerning the suffering of the Arakan people is not available to the rest of the world. I genuinely want to know what is going on, how they are doing, and whether they are okay. I am constantly anxious."

 According to some sources, the junta turned off the phone and the internet in Arakan State in order to hide its breaches of human rights. There are also allegations that the airstrikes damaged key communication routes.

 The phone and internet services in Arakan were suspended by the junta in January of this year, although they have subsequently been restored in certain regions. However, in areas still ruled by the junta, all lines of communication have now been cut.

 For months, the junta has blocked phone and internet services in places under the authority of the Arakan Army (AA), including as Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Pauktaw, and Ramree in Arakan, as well as Paletwa Town in Chin State.

The junta shut down internet access in the majority of Arakan townships in 2019, sparking demonstrations and significant criticism.