The Burmese junta cut off all internal access to the Internet on Friday morning as its crackdown on the demonstrations continues. The government has not allowed foreign correspondents into the country, so journalists have relied on the people inside Burma to smuggle out information, photos and videos. Their stories— mostly sent out by email— have enabled the world to watch the demonstrations and crackdown unfold.
The Wall Street Journal ran a cover story on Friday discussing the role of the Internet and citizen journalism in Burma (renamed Myanmar by the junta) over the past few weeks.
The article states: “Citizen witnesses are using cellphones and the Internet to beam out images of bloodied monks and street fires, subverting the Myanmar government’s effort to control media coverage and present a sanitized version of the uprising.”
The majority of phone lines have also been cut. Journalists based in other countries are now relying on the few people who still have phone access.
Until Friday morning, people inside Burma could send emails but had limited access to foreign news. Most news websites were banned due to the government’s tighter control during the two-weeks of demonstrations.
“Most of the Myanmar people don’t know what’s going on [in] their land,” a Burmese man emailed me on Thursday.
Despite the crackdown, the demonstrations continued Friday. They mark the 11th-straight day of protests and marches by monks and civilians in Rangoon, Mandalay and cities across Burma.
Photo: Soldiers arrive at Sule Pagoda on Thursday. Photo taken by an American in Rangoon during the demonstrations.
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