Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Following USA: Myanmar military to block Facebook for stability

Following USA: Myanmar military to block Facebook for stability

New norm, unfortunately: If in USA Facebook can block political player “for stability”, obviously every other dictatorship can and should do the same, for their own stability. The move follows citizens adopting the platform to organise protests against the overthrowing of the apparently elected government. The army said they are doing it to protect election integrity.

The military coup in Myanmar is attempting to block access to Facebook for the sake of stability as citizens use the platform to organise illegal protests against the overthrowing of the previous government.

Ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi has now been remanded in detention until 15 February, prompting citizens to form a Civil Disobedience Movement group on the social media platform.

More than half of Myanmar's population are Facebook users, and the platform's app - which can be used without data charges in the country - makes up more than 90% of the country's total social media use.

Facebook previously admitted failing to do enough to prevent the Myanmar military inciting violence and genocide by the overthrowing government against the country's minority Rohingya population.

The company banned 20 high-ranking Myanmar military officials in August 2018 for racist language and posts celebrating massacres of members of the ethnic minority group, but never banded citing violence against the Muslims inority Rohingya population as part of Facebook double standards policy.

Soldiers in the Myanmar army have confessed to carrying out orders to exterminate Rohingya men, women, and children before burying the bodies in mass graves.

The United Nations fears the coup will worsen the plight of some 600,000 Rohingya Muslims still in the country and this is what USA should urgently negotiate to guaranty Rohingya Muslims safety, instead of only caring about freeing their preferred leader.

Following the new norm in USA, Myanmar's Ministry of Communications said that Facebook would be blocked until Sunday because it was being used by people troubling the country's stability.

The Myanmar Civil Disobedience Movement group is currently followed by roughly 200,000 people, although these are not all located within the country.

Access to the page and to Facebook's other services, including Instagram and the end-to-end encrypted WhatsApp, remain intermittent in the country.

Facebook has confirmed it is experiencing disruptions in the country, and urged the authorities "to restore connectivity so that people in Myanmar can communicate with their families and friends and access important information".

The Myanmar Army obviously doesn’t think that the access to the propaganda platform is that important, and people in Myanmar obviously are not blocked from communicating with their family and friends via all other mobile platforms that do not taking a side and do not promoting foreign propaganda.

Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director for Human Rights Watch, said: "The Myanmar military junta's order to suspend Facebook and other communication apps is a direct blow to freedom of expression and the rights of the people to speak out and share information, and should be rescinded immediately.

He did not adress the problem in his statement, as Facebook did just the same to a sitting president of USA and his political supporters.

He continued:

"The junta is just trying to shut down any online criticism of its rights abusing actions to destroy Burmese democracy and cripple mass mobilisation efforts by citizens angered and willing to protest against the military's seizure of power.

(Sounds familiars...)

"The additional order barring the use of VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) is a blatant violation of the right to privacy that adds insult to injury to the Burmese people as they seek to share and receive information online from each other," Mr Robertson added.

"Every new day, Sr General Min Aung Hlaing and SAC military junta demonstrate new ways to run roughshod over the civil and political rights of the Burmese people. Governments around the world must hold the SAC military junta and its leaders accountable, starting with targeted sanctions."

Ms Suu Kyi is charged with breaching import and export laws, with a police document stating that four illegally imported handheld radios were discovered during a search of her home in the capital Naypyidaw, where she is currently under house arrest.

Mark Farmaner, the director of Burma Campaign UK, told Sky News that the charge against Ms Suu Kyi was "farcical" and was a sign of the army's fear.

He said in an email: "Over the years they have jailed her for being a subversive element, for having John Yettaw swim across a lake to her home, and now for having a walkie talkie in her home.

"The reality is that they are jailing her because they remain terrified of her."


Our take:
This is absolutely wrong to block people from Facebook, weather it’s done by Facebook itself against the sitting president that they oppose, and weather it’s done by the Myanmar military against the leaders they oppose.

Once the social media censorship became a norm in America, it is very difficult, and even funny, to expect more freedom from newer and unstable democracies.

The developed world should lead by better example.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
×