Myanmar shuts down wireless internet access amid protests

Myanmar’s military is shutting down wireless internet access in an attempt to quell protests that have erupted throughout the country since a military takeover on Feb. 1.

The military has been shutting off internet overnight for weeks, but the Ministry of Transport and Communications told internet providers Thursday that “all wireless broadband data services be temporarily suspended until further notice,” Ooredoo, a local internet provider in the country said, according to The Associated Press.

Companies are also no longer allowed to offer high-speed internet to Myanmar’s citizens as the military is now only offering fiber optic cables that give internet access at slow speeds.

The decision comes after Myanmar’s deadliest week of protest as the Myanmar military has now killed more than 500 pro-democracy protesters.

The United Nations special envoy for Myanmar has said a “bloodbath is imminent” if there is not “significant action” taken by other countries.

The military is causing the economy in the nation to crumble as businesses are moving out of Myanmar due to the violence.

A South Korean bank is considering taking all of their employees out of the country because one of their employees was shot and killed while they were traveling home from work, according to Reuters. 

A German company that supplies materials to make banknotes will no longer deliver to the state-owned security printer.

In March, U.S. officials blocked the military from taking $1 billion from the country’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The military conducted the coup because they believed, without evidence, that the election in November was rigged.

They continue to promise new elections but have not given a time frame for when they would happen.