Myanmar Defense Force chief Min Aung Hlaing parades in Nay Pyi Taw after overthrowing Myanmar’s democratically elected government in a coup d’état on Feb. 1. (March 27, 2021)
The Burmese junta issues a new order banning the use of satellite receiving antennas. The junta threatens to jail anyone who violates the ban, while increasing its crackdown on independent media.
The junta-controlled Global New Light newspaper reported Wednesday (May 5) that some news outlets are using illegal satellite dishes to broadcast programs that “endanger national security, the rule of law and community peace and tranquility. “The media outlet said that any violation of the ban would be a violation of the law. The media outlet said anyone who violates the ban on the private installation and use of satellite dishes could face a year in jail or a fine of 500,000 kyats (about $320).
The military, led by Myanmar Defense Force chief Min Aung Hlaing, overthrew Myanmar’s democratically elected government in a coup on Feb. 1. Since then, Myanmar has been in turmoil, with demonstrations against the military coup breaking out almost daily and more than 760 people killed as security forces violently cracked down on protests.
The Burmese military recently extended its crackdown to the Internet and independent media. And since the Feb. 1 coup, the military has begun imposing increasingly tight restrictions on Myanmar’s National Communications Commission.
The Guardian UK reports that most people in Myanmar have had their mobile data cut off for more than 50 days, and broadband access has been severely restricted. A variety of independent media outlets have been banned, but they continue to operate underground, either publishing online or using satellite television to broadcast.
The Guardian cites the independent news outlet Irrawaddy as reporting that more than 80 journalists have been arrested in recent months. The journalists will be held legally responsible under Article 505(A) of the penal code. The law provides for up to three years in prison for publishing news that causes fear or spreading false information.
Japanese journalist Yuki Kitazumi, who was arrested by the Burmese military, was formally charged Monday (May 3) with spreading false information, according to Kyodo News. Kitazumi is allegedly the first foreign journalist to be charged since the coup in Myanmar.
Meanwhile, Burmese people continue to protest the military coup across the country in defiance of the military’s violent crackdown. Teachers, students and parents in Mandalay, Burma’s second largest city, marched outside their schools on Wednesday morning (May 5) calling for a boycott of the education system under the military government, the Guardian reported, citing local media.
Reuters reported that the Chin State Self-Defense Force (Chinland Defense Force), a newly formed militia in Chin State, which borders India, said on its Facebook page on Tuesday that it had killed at least four Burmese army soldiers and wounded 10 others in overnight clashes. The Burmese military did not comment on the claim.
Villagers in Myanmar’s northwestern Sagaing region (Sagaing) on May 4 found the decapitated body of a man believed to have been appointed by the military government as a local administrator before he died, independent broadcaster DVB reported. A day earlier, a local official had been stabbed to death in Yangon, the largest city. Reuters reporters could not reach local police for comment.
The advocacy group Aid Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said security forces have killed more than 760 civilians in the escalating violence since the coup. The junta disputed the figure and said 24 police and soldiers had been killed in the protests.
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