The use of Facebook and other messaging services in Myanmar was blocked on Thursday as a move to silence online activists.
Its Ministry of Communications and Information said Facebook, used by half of Myanmar’s 53 million people, would be blocked until February 7.
Images of oppositions against the junta were very strongly displayed on Facebook.
Images of the protests on Wednesday with people in Yangon and other cities banging on pots and pans and honking car horns were circulated.
It has also been the platform used to share images of a campaign of disobedience by staff at government hospitals across the country, who accused the army of putting its interests above a coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 3,100 people.
However, people still found they could still access the social media application even if connections were slow. Some used VPNs to evade the blockage.
Norway’s Telenor Asa, the country’s leading mobile network operator, had no choice but to comply with the directive to block Facebook.
Andy Stone, the social media entity’s spokesman, urged authorities to restore connectivity “so that people in Myanmar can communicate with their families and friends and access important information”.
The hashtag #CivilDisobedienceMovement was top trending in the country on social media platform Twitter. This was followed by the hashtag #JusticeForMyanmar. (ES)
