The military junta has cut telephone and internet connections in Ye Township in Mon State since July, disrupting communication between villages in the area, according to local sources.
A local from Ye said that every time fighting breaks out between the military junta forces and joint resistance forces in villages in the southern and northern parts of the township, the phone lines are cut, with each disruption lasting up to five days.
“We had MPT, Mytel and Telenor (ATOM) in our area. Later, only MPT was still there for us. Now even MPT doesn’t work anymore. There are no working phone lines. We can’t communicate between villages,” said a woman from Kyon Ka Nyar village in Ye.
She added that the disruption of phone lines has caused difficulties in emergency situations, such as the current flooding in Ye Township, and for urgent health matters.
A woman from Ye, who is currently away from home, said that she has lost contact with her family members in Ye Township due to the disruption of phone and internet lines.
“Communication hasn’t been working properly since May. I often talked to people from the village on the phone. But since June, when the phone and internet connections in the village were cut, I’ve lost contact with people back home. It’s now been about two months since I last spoke to my mother. I’m worried because I haven’t heard from her,” she said.
Since 1 August, there have been at least three armed clashes between reinforced junta troops and resistance forces in Hnin Son and Hnit Kayin villages in Ye Township.
Locals reported that four houses in Hnin Son village were destroyed by artillery fire from the junta army, according to Ye residents.
They also said that not only were telephone lines cut in the villages where fighting occurred, but travel between villages was also restricted.
After the Ma Saw bridge in Taung Ka Lay village in Bilin Township was mined last month, telephone and internet lines were cut in some townships in Mon State, including Mawlamyine.
A resident of Khawzar town in Ye Township said that all telecommunication operators were cut off to prevent information about the fighting situation in Ye Township from being shared online.
According to the Myanmar Internet Project, the military junta has relentlessly cut internet and phone lines in conflict areas since May and July last year to cover up accurate news and its defeats as it is suffering battlefield losses.
Sent by IMNA.