Myanmar Shuts Data in Two States Amid Crackdown on Ethnic Rebels

(Bloomberg) -- Myanmar has ordered all mobile phone operators to temporarily shut down data services in nine townships in the state of Rakhine and Chin, the local unit of Telenor ASA said, as the military targets ethic rebels in the region.

“From the time of receiving the directive, Telenor Myanmar has been asking for further clarification on the rationale for the shutdown and emphasized that freedom of expression through access to telecoms services should be maintained for humanitarian purposes, especially during times of conflict,” the phone operator said in a statement.

The communications shutdown comes as the Myanmar military has vowed to continue cracking down on ethnic rebels in the two states. United Nations and other global organizations have accused Myanmar’s military of murdering thousands of Rohingya Muslims in western Rakhine state since 2017 with genocidal intent.

Myanmar’s military has repeatedly denied committing atrocities against the Muslim minority, dodging accusations that include gang rapes, murder and torching whole villages.

To contact the reporter on this story: Philip J. Heijmans in Singapore at pheijmans1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Linus Chua, Steve Geimann

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