US calls for end to Myanmar internet shutdown

The United States on Saturday called for an end to a mobile internet shutdown in two strife-torn states in Myanmar, saying the cutoff undermines transparency amid clashes between the military and insurgents.

Myanmar’s government last week took the unprecedented step of ordering mobile phone operators to shut down all internet data across at least eight townships in Rakhine state and one in neighboring Chin state. The move came as the military moved against insurgents fighting for more autonomy for the region’s ethnic Rakhine Buddhists.

“Internet service should be restored without delay,” the US State Department said in a statement. “Resumption of service would help facilitate transparency in and accountability for what the government claims are law enforcement actions aimed at preventing further outbreaks of violence in the affected areas,” it added.