According to local residents, most of the villages on the Kyaikmarraw township side of Mon State, Kyaikmarraw township, and Kyain-seikgyi township side of Karen State, where the fighting is ongoing, do not have access to phone and internet services.
Fighting has intensified in the region since November 10, when the People’s Defense Joint Forces attacked the Chaunghnitkhwa village police station and bridge gate.
Residents reported that phone lines and internet services were disrupted in certain villages, particularly in Chaunghnitkhwa and some adjacent areas of Kyain-seikgyi township. Telecommunications providers in the area include MPT, Ooredoo, Atom, and Mytel.
“It’s a battle and at times I still get service. The phone service was cut off because of the fighting for just one or two days. I don’t have a phone line, so I can’t contact the village, so I don’t know what’s going on. We don’t know the battle situation,” said a resident of Kyaikmarraw township who opted to flee.
Challenging road conditions resulting from the conflict, is making repairs to communication towers impractical.
Businesses that rely on telephone internet lines in the region have stopped their operation.
