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SINGAPORE: Images and videos of protests across Myanmar were broadcast and shared online last week almost immediately as events unfolded in the country, a far cry from what it was in the past.
With smartphones in the hands of more than 20 million people in the country, it has been impossible to stop the flow of information to and from the outside world.
“The potential is that people can communicate, take testimonies and then quickly circulate them through messages, social networks, Facebook and the Internet,” said Professor Gerard Goggin of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University.
Mobile phones and the telecommunications boom in the last decade have changed the life of a country of 52 million people and now play an important role in the current political crisis. Some major changes have led to this, said the experts the CNA spoke with.
“Myanmar in … 2021 is connected to regional communication and connectivity networks in a way that Burma is crumbling from a closed economy and isolation under the socialist government of Ne Win in 1988 was not,” said Ms. Moe Thuzar, co-coordinator of ISEAS- Yusof Ishak’s Myanmar Study Program, added that at the time, messages and video recordings were “smuggled” out of the country.
People cover themselves with plastic in case a water cannon is used during a demonstration against the military coup and to demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Yangon, Myanmar, on February 9, 2021. (Photo : REUTERS / Stringer)
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“INTERNET EXPLOSION”
While the country had had Internet access since 2000, it was a luxury few could afford and a SIM card reportedly could cost between $ 1,000 and $ 2,000. Still, news and photos from the Saffron Revolution in 2007 were posted on websites and blogs, ensuring worldwide coverage.
Fast forward to 2021, and prepaid recharge cards for mobile phones are a common and cheap commodity.
The internet and smartphone boom came in 2013 when the state monopoly on phone services ended. In 2020, Myanmar has four telecom operators and more than 140 Internet service providers.
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In January last year there were 22 million Internet users and 68 million mobile connections in Myanmar, with an Internet penetration rate of more than 40%.
“Myanmar was a closed system, but the last decade has seen dramatic change. International telecom operators saw an opportunity and opened stores,” said assistant professor Saifuddin Ahmed, also from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. .
“This facilitated the widespread availability of mobile phones and a reduction in the cost of the SIM card, which in turn allowed the growth of the use of the Internet and social networks in the country.”
There has been an “internet explosion” and a large number of Burmese language applications are now on smartphones, Ms Moe Thuzar said.
“Facebook is the important platform, indeed the main one, for people in Myanmar to share information and updates, and rally the current movement to protest the illegal military takeover in Myanmar,” he said.
In addition to the protests, there has been a growing campaign of civil disobedience with essential workers organizing strikes.
AROUND THE RESTRICTIONS
Social media platforms such as Facebook continue to be blocked in the country, although an internet blackout has been lifted over the weekend.
A communications specialist in Yangon, who asked not to be identified, told CNA that they have been using virtual private networks or VPNs to circumvent restrictions and access platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp.
During the blackout, which was lifted on Sunday, they created SMS groups to update each other and called their family and friends in different municipalities every hour to stay in touch, he said.
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Ms Moe Thuzar said that when the board tried to block Internet access after the coup last week, netizens from Myanmar migrated to Twitter, which is relatively new to most social media users in Myanmar who are more used to posting and sharing in Burmese.
From Viber and Messenger, many have also moved to WhatsApp and, increasingly, Signal for messaging.
They also widely shared tips and techniques on using VPNs to avoid possible interception or monitoring, he said.
Police use water cannons to disperse protesters during a protest in Mandalay, Myanmar, on February 9, 2021 (Photo: AP).
“The current movement is spread throughout the country and … because most of the communication is in Burmese, there is a wider reach and people, especially young people from semi-urban or rural areas, are so connected with the movement like its peers in cities and towns, “he said.
Professor Goggin said the internet is, like electricity, an essential service right now, and social media and messaging platforms have “really taken off” in the last five years.
“I think that combined is a recipe for digital media to be an even greater tool or amplifier for people’s opinion, for action and coordination.”
FUTIL INTERNET BLACKOUTS
It is a phenomenon that is seen not only in Myanmar but around the world, experts said.
“Protesters around the world are becoming tech savvy and finding means to circumvent government restrictions. We have witnessed this in Egypt, Hong Kong, India and many other societies,” said Adjunct Professor Saifuddin.
Even when there were no internet services, mesh networking apps like Bridgefy allowed protesters to communicate and help information go viral, he said.
A nurse shows the three-finger salute while participating in a protest against the military coup and to demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Yangon, Myanmar, on February 8, 2021. REUTERS / Stringer
An image of a three-finger salute is projected onto a building during a nightly protest against the military coup and to demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Yangon, Myanmar, on February 9, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS / Stringer)
It also means that protest movements around the world have inspired each other. Protesters in Myanmar have been doing a three-finger salute, which has been used by protesters in Thailand since 2014.
The gesture, taken from the sci-fi series The Hunger Games, was also seen during protests in Hong Kong.
A protester in Myanmar does the three-finger salute. (Photo: AP)
It’s another sign that it is difficult to stop the flow of information across borders. The protesters, aware that they are being watched around the world, also display protest messages in English to communicate with a global audience.
Experts said Internet shutdowns are a “crude tool” that has its limits.
“These blocks can slow down the dissemination of information, but may not be able to completely block the dissemination of information indefinitely,” said assistant professor Saifuddin.
