Myanmar coup: Internet shutdown as crowds protest against military

Myanmar’s military rulers have shut down the country’s internet, according to monitors, as thousands of people protest against this week’s coup.

A near-total internet blackout is in effect, with connectivity falling to 16% of ordinary levels, NetBlocks Internet Observatory said.

The BBC’s Burmese service also confirmed the shutdown.

It comes the country sees the largest rally since the military seized power on Monday.

“Military dictator, fail, fail; Democracy, win, win,” the crowd chanted in the main city Yangon.

Police with riot shields have blocked the main roads into the city centre.

Access to Twitter and Instagram has been blocked to stop people mobilising, a day after Facebook was banned.

The military have not commented. They temporarily blocked access to the internet following the coup on 1 February.

On Saturday, protesters including factory workers and students called for the release of those detained by the army, including elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

They marched through the streets of Yangon as city buses sounded their horns in support. Bystanders flashed the three-finger Hunger Games salute, which has become a symbol of defiance against authoritarianism in the region.

Demonstrators gave police roses and bottles of drinking water, calling on them to support the people not the new regime.

Myanmar – also known as Burma – has remained mostly calm in the aftermath of the coup, although some demonstrations have been held in different parts of the country.

The BBC’s Nyein Chan in Yangon says the Burmese know very well the violent crackdowns that the military is capable of. The country was ruled by an oppressive military government from 1962 to 2011.

But now that people have had time to digest what is happening, they are finding different ways to get their voices heard, our correspondent says.

Ms Suu Kyi is under house arrest, according to her lawyer. Police documents show she is accused of illegally importing and using communications equipment – walkie-talkies – at her home in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw.