Asah : Over 13 internet cafés in Moulmine, Mon state and 10 internet cafés in Hpan-an, Karen State have temporarily closed. The reasons: no connection and the upcoming elections.
Internet cafes in Hpa-an town, Karen State, and Moulmine, Mudon, Thanphuzaryat and other small villages in Mon state have had to close.
One student from Hpa-An University surmised, “there is no internet connection at this moment. I think because it is very close to the election date.”
One internet café owner in Moulmine said there has been no internet line for three days and because of this some stores have closed. “Now we can’t use Gmail, Gtalk, etc, so we closed the shop. Some shops offer games. We are facing many problems because of this [no internet connection]. This is our job. Now we are free all the time,” the internet cafe owner added.
Similarly, an internet café owner from Hpa-an said, “they closed the internet line for three days. I don’t why they closed it. They closed down contact with IP star [satellite]. We have a line signal, but we are not connected.”
Many students are frustrated because of the lack of internet connection. With no access, they cannot do online tests or find out important information from the internet. One student speculated that the reason for Burmese government shut down of the internet is due to a fear of information spreading from inside Burma to people outside. With the use of Gmail, Gtalk, blogging, and other sites, pictures and information can be easily uploaded and spread past Burmese borders.
Karen and Mon state are not the only areas to experience connection problems. Other ethnic areas, and even some internet cafés in Rangoon, have had to close as well.
