May 7, 2021
The Myanmar junta has banned satellite television after imposing severe restrictions on the Internet and media, provoking global rights groups to protest the military’s tightening grip over information flow in the country. The ruling State
Administration Council announced this week that anyone using satellite dishes to watch television will face up to one year in prison or a fine of 500,000 kyat ($320).
The military junta claimed that “illegal organisations and news agencies” were broadcasting programs via satellite that threaten state security. The ban appears targeted at independent Burmese language broadcasters such as the Democratic
Voice of Burma (DVB) and Mizzima, which have continued broadcasting via satellite since the junta revoked their operating licenses in March. The ban will also affect foreign news channels broadcast via satellite into Myanmar.
He told IANS the military crackdown now extends from ground to air in an unprecedented way and Myanmarese people can only look forward to the global community to redress their plight. On May 4, the junta also announced that it was banning two more media outlets, Kachin-based 74 Media and Shan-based
Tachileik News Agency, increasing the number to eight. Many of those outlets, including 74 Media and Tachileik News, have responded with defiance to the junta’s bans, vowing to continue their reporting.
Source – The Sentinel
