[A timeline of how the Burma government shutdown the Internet. From an ONI report.]
Two reports about the goings-on in Burma. One, from the OpenNet Initiative's "Pulling the Plug: A Technical Review of the Internet Shutdown in Burma," begins:
This bulletin examines the role of information technology, citizen journalists, and bloggers in Burma and presents a technical analysis of the abrupt shutdown of Internet connectivity by the Burmese government on September 29, 2007, following its violent crackdown on
protesters there. Completely cutting international Internet links is rare. Nepal, which severed all international Internet connections when the King declared martial law in February 2005, is the only other state to take such drastic action. Although extreme, the measures taken by the Burmese government to limit citizens' use of the Internet during this crisis are consistent with previous OpenNet Initiative (ONI) findings in Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, and Tajikistan, where authorities controlled access to communication technologies as a way to limit social mobilization around key political events. What makes the Burmese junta stand out, however, is its apparent goal of also preventing information from reaching a wider international audience..."
Read the full report here. ONI contact info here.
Two, a joint report from the International Trade Unions Confederation and the International Federation of Human Rights about a Mission to Burma, begins:
After the September crackdown on peaceful protests in Burma, the International Trade Unions Confederation (ITUC) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) decided to send a joint international fact-finding mission on the Thai border with Burma to collect first-hand information on the wave of repression. The objective was also to discuss with Burmese pro-democracy and human rights groups about possible international strategies to contribute to the democratization of the country.
Read the full report here.
Availability for interviews :Olivier De Schutter : +32 (0) 2.640.42.95
Post your comments below. See SAJAforum coverage of Burma Crisis.
