Burma
Burmese government cracks down on information flowPosted Oct 20 2007
Burmese journalists imprisoned since crackdown on monk protests; Internet blocked by the government
Since the military junta threatened to crack down on protests by monks and dissents, six Burmese journalists have been incarcerated.
According to Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association, there have been 24 serious violations of press freedom, including arrests and assaults.
The Burmese government’s is also cracking down on internet content. The military junta is filtering opposition websites. The Internet restrictions have cut the number of active blogs to almost zero, with only a handful able to continue publishing via third parties. One Burmese blogger, called Dathana, wrote: “[Mobile] phone lines and some land lines were also cut.”
According to Reporters Without Borders study in 2005 claimed Burma’s Internet restrictions were among the most worst in the world. “The state maintains the capability to conduct surveillance of communication methods … and block users viewing websites of political opposition groups,” said a report from the academic body OpenNet Initiative.