Global Voices Advocacy » Myanmar

Southeast Asia: Sex and web censorship

Mong Palatino — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:55:40 +0000

Regulating internet content today is viewed as an anti-democratic practice but Southeast Asian governments seem able to justify it by invoking the need to save the young from the scourge of indecent sexual behavior.

Indonesia’s plan to filter web of “bad” content through its Multimedia Content Screening team was shelved last February after it was opposed by the public. Today, the proposal is being revived in the wake of a celebrity sex tape scandal which continues to shock both the young and old in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation. After enacting an anti-pornography law two years ago, Indonesia now wants to enforce an internet blacklist in response to the demand of conservative voices to protect the morals of the young.

A similar celebrity sex scandal hounded the Philippines last year which paved the way for the passage of an anti-voyeurism law. The internet was also blamed for the instant dissemination of the sex tapes which prodded lawmakers to craft a cybercrime bill.

In Cambodia, the government is proposing to establish a state-run exchange point to control all local internet service providers which is intended to strengthen internet security against pornography, theft and other cybercrimes. The draft regulation is not yet final but it is expected that the government will seriously pursue this measure especially after it recently became almost helpless in stopping the cell phone and internet uploading of an illegally taped video of nude ladies bathing in a monastery.

Southeast Asian governments do no always need sex scandals to censor the web since they can always cite other reasons, like national security, to filter and monitor internet content. For example, Thailand became the first country in the world to shut down 100,000 websites for containing “dangerous” material. It punishes bloggers, writers and website administrators for violating the lese majeste law. Vietnam was accused by Google and McAfee of launching cyber attacks against some websites, specifically websites that advocate opposition to bauxite mining, a controversial issue in the country.

But politically-driven internet regulation often encounters strong opposition from internet users and it always elicits condemnation around the world, especially from media groups and human rights organizations. Governments can always ignore the noisy critics but they will also lose credibility. Governments with democratic trappings cannot afford to censor the online media for an extended period. But regulating the web to stop pornography and other immoral acts somehow generates only a whisper of protest. It has become the safest ruse to block “harmful” websites. Myanmar’s internet regulation policy has been identified as one of the draconian measures imposed by the ruling junta but its decision to ban two weekly journals for posting photos of female models in short pants didn’t draw the normal level of opposition from democracy groups.

The aggressive drive to eliminate sex and sexual imageries in the online domain may be a symptom of the rising tide of conservatism in many Southeast Asian nations. The morality card is being played to produce desirable attitudes, sentiments and behavior among the population even if this strategy disrespects the diverse cultures in the region. When Indonesia passed the anti-porn law, the Bali governor protested since the law is contrary to the local tradition where making historic nude statues and erotic dances are sometimes still popular. When Cambodia blocked websites showing pornography or sexy images, it included reahu.net for containing artistic illustrations of ancient bare-breasted Apsara dancers and a Khmer Rouge soldier.

Another problem is the vague definition of what constitutes images and actions that are pornographic, indecent, immoral, and obscene. Filipino activists are worried that the cybercrime bill would now make it unlawful to publish or upload materials that contradict the official state interpretation of what is decent, moral, and proper.

Governments have mastered the tools and techniques of censorship in the traditional media. They are now testing the limits of online regulation. Indonesia’s plan to enforce an internet blacklist should be monitored because of its impact in the region. Indonesia has more than 40 million internet users and it is acknowledged as the Twitter capital of Asia. If Indonesia succeeds in filtering web content, other countries in the region are expected to follow this model.

Web censorship does not only cut access to information; it also weakens the power of internet users to form online solidarities. To really protect the young and innocent, the best solution is to give them, their parents, and the community in general, the proper education and relevant information about the potential and risks of surfing the web.

Burmese Farmers Charged Using the Electronic Act

Imran Jamal — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:07:20 +0000

The Burmese Army has filed charges against farmers who had lodged a complaint with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) against the Central Ordinance Depot on the 3rd August after 5,000 acres of land was seized.

The Military spokesperson Captain Phyo Wei Lin “accused the defendants of sending news and facts to the foreign media”, according to Mizzima News.

U Tint, one of the accused has said: “We don't know about this Electronic Law and also don't know about the Video Law, as we cannot see movies regularly in our rural area,” adding “we are in trouble now and we are on the run.”

Three villagers arrested on the 20th October were later prosecuted under the Electronic Law after the initial case was brought under the Official Secrets Act. This was later changed after the Military realised the preposterous nature of charging the farmers for “making a photograph of an Army establishment.”

The Electronic Law has been used by the Junta to prosecute and persecute activists, bloggers and politicians who are critical of the regime.

The ILO has long cited Burma as a country using forced labour and murdering workers unwilling to work.

Burma has clamped down on all forms of electronic activities since the ‘Saffron Revolution” last year when Monks all over the country protested against the Military Regime. The protests and the subsequent brutal suppression was broadcast all over the world via the internet, bringing international condemnation and great scrutiny on the activities of the Junta.

Burmese blogger Nay Phone Latt sentenced to twenty years and six months

Imran Jamal — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:22:46 +0000

A year after thousands of monks took to the streets of Burma’s towns and cities to protest against the tyrannical rule of the Military Junta were broadcast across the world via the internet, the Junta has shown that it will not tolerate any semblance of critical opinion being voiced over the World Wide Web.

Judge Daw Soe recently sentenced Nay Phone Latt to a total of twenty years and six months for possession of a banned video and having a blog to express his concerns about the increasingly difficulty of Burmese people to voice their opinions since the protests last year.

Nay was first arrested in January but was released, along with a handful of National League for Democracy (NLD) politicians, a few hours later but was arrested again a few days later. Since then he has been held at Insein Prison, infamous for grotesque treatment of its political prisoners.

Nay Latt’s mother wasn’t allowed into the courtroom to see her son get sentenced for a crime that she expected him to get ten to twelve years.
When he was sentenced to twenty years and six months it served as a shock to not just her but Nay’s lawyer as well.

“The blogger's lawyer was himself jailed for criticising the special court's procedures,” reports Reporters without Borders, who have also published that the celebrated poet Saw Wai has been sentenced to two years in prison for a poem that stated that Dictator Than Shwe is power crazy.

What does this mean for the Constitution that was rushed through regardless of Cyclone Nargis’ devastating impact on the country?
Well, a document that secures 110 out of the 440 seats for the military illustrates that the Junta are firmly in control and do planning to cave into the international pressure put on the country and the shuttle diplomacy of UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari.

The seemingly liberal and enlightened Constitution guarantees basic rights, such as freedom to form political parties and unions; the freedom of press; religion and the rights of minorities is a far cry from the laws used to sentence Nay Latt and Saw Wai.

With the long awaited visit of UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, pending, it is hoped that he can make some headway with a Junta determined to stonewall any progress to free Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from her twenty years’ house arrest, let alone grant the rights enshrined in the Constitution.

With the international media and public moving onto the cause de jour, the pressure has eased off of the secretive Junta. With the first anniversary of Nargis looming it seems as though the country has been in stasis with the Military not even wishing to pay lip service to their masterpiece (the Constitution), which took nearly twenty years to compete!

Myanmar: Latt's arrest and blogger opposition to the new constitution

John Kennedy — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 21:04:57 +0000

It's been a month now since Burmese blogger Nay Phone Latt was arrested by police in Yangon and a week since his family was allowed to visit him for the first time following his transfer to infamous Insein Prison, known for its conditions and for the many political prisoners held there.

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Response to Latt's arrest was swift and far-reaching, with posts from BoingBoing to Italy to Holland and Australia and in just as many languages: Spanish, Swedish, Bahasa, German and, assuredly, English; news came out in the days following Latt's arrest that other bloggers had gone into hiding, although further details, if any, have yet to surface.

Latt's readers were quick to speak out in his support, and a blog has even been set up in his name:

“Give Nay Phone Latt Back,” writes mahorgani at the Burmese Bloggers Without Borders blog:

Now , wicked hands are coming to bloggers. Burmese blogger, Nay Phone Latt, who just disappeared from his way with no clues. He dedicated his time in writings and community works. He simply love his country like everyone else. He might trying his bits of task to figure out Democracy.

Where he is now? Nobody knows except those who took him. What an unfair and terrible situation happening in Burma. Big brothers are everywhere. Nightmare is in everybody. Uncertainty is in every corner.

More from the Burma and Freedom blogger, photos of Latt hanging out included, in that person's post, “My Friend in Burma Got Arrested Just for Web Blogging”:

The Government officials have denied to comment anything about his arrest. His parents got to learn that he had been arrested only after the group of soldiers raided their house and his Grandfather's house. His parents and grandparents heard the officer on the phone (apparently to Nay Phone Latt who was in detention) saying; “Ok. You lied to us. You will pay for this. I will slap you and beat you up when I come back there!!!”.

Where he has been detained is not known, and his parents are worried about his health and safety.

Earlier this month it came out that Latt is formally being charged under article 32 (b) of the Video Act, which brings with it up to six months and/or a fine of approximately 85USD; according to one blogger at Burmese Bloggers Without Borders, Latt's crime was possession of a recording of a Thee Lay Thee performance, described by the BBWoB blogger as “[something] like comedy show.. making fun of SPDC and bad situations in burma…the video is the banned video in Burma…if anyone is found possessing any censored materials, they can be jailed or fined or both.”

More recently, a report from Irrawaddy.org this week suggests that Burma's internet infrastructure itself seems to be having problems:

The reason for the frequent disruption of service is not known, but users in the former Burmese capital say that the problem has become more noticeable since the beginning of this month.

“It takes a long time to send attached files, such as photos and pictures. It is not as fast as before,” said a woman working at an Internet café in Sanchaung Township.

“Sometimes the connection fails completely while users are online and we have to change to a new proxy number. It happens all the time now,” she added.

Possibly tired of waiting for pages to load, at least one blogger is calling for a return to radio, to reach those who seldom go online as it is:

Military Junta has effectively blocked the work of most famous Burmese bloggers (blogger.com). Arrest of Burmese blogger Nay Phone Latt, Burmese poet Ko Saw Way and recent arrest of Myanmar Nation’s journalists were systematic attack to Free Press and Internet Blogs by terror and fear.

At the same time Junta has declared referendum to be started by May,2008. This is also well planned and calculated attack to pro democracy movement. All of us out here understand that “this referendum” is going to be a sham. However Burmese people are at gun point, and it will be very difficult for them not to follow Junta’s orders as their utmost priority will be to survive the every single harsh day.

For them, Rambo is easy to understand than referendum. Constitution of Burma, which is so vital for future Burma may be something difficult to understand. ( I am well aware of existence of awakened Burmese in rural area) Majority of Burmese are farmers and from rural areas with so much difficulty for day to day survival.

Only way this blogger could think of is that the information relating referendum and constitution to be spread among the Burmese people through radios. The recent news of Burmese from Korea donated radios to Burmese people at border is a very significant move for freedom of Burma.

Hopes for the results from the constitutional referendum this May don't seem to be too high; amid skepticism of just how “inclusive” the process will be as overseen by UN Special Envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari, BBWoB just this weekend launched a campaign calling for its readers to “say NO”:

Myanmar: Internet Blocked

Preetam Rai — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 17:37:30 +0000

The follwing post is from a Burmese blogger who wishes to remain anonymous.

There have been massive support from Myanmar bloggers for the current protest activities, and the whole Myanmar blogosphere is overwhelmed with news and photos. Because of that, Myanmar Junta got chickened out and banned the political blogs, almost immediately followed by banning the whole blogger domain hence all other Myanmar blogs. A few bloggers tried to bypass proxy and blog using email-to-blog techniques.

To make the matter worse, BaganNet, Myanmar main ISP has been shut down by so-called “maintenance reasons” and most of the telecommunication services have been cut off or tapped. Information flow out of the country has been strictly monitored and even the amateur photographers are warned to be very careful as the Junta is hunting down the sources.

Numbers of blog posts have been reduced tremendously these days; nevertheless it’s very encouraging to see that some freedom bloggers are still in contact with the outside world and are working their best to keep the world up-to-date with latest Myanmar news.

Among them Niknayman excelled in the usage of CBox (blog comment box) facility to report live news of Burma activities. http://niknayman.cbox.ws/ is been viewed by thousands of visitors 24/7 and is one of the main source of news for overseas Myanmar. Usefulness and popularity of his CBox is growing rapidly and some of them created a clone English version CBox http://burmanews.cbox.ws/ for internationalization.

Today entries include:
Ancient Ghost reported a blackout in Yangon.

Internet cafes were closed down. Both MPT ISP and Myanmar Teleport ISP cut down internet access in Yangon and Mandalay since this morning. The Junta try to prevent more videos, photographs and information about their violent crackdown getting out. I got a news from my friends that last night some militray guys searched office computers from Traders and Sakura Tower building. Most of the downtown movement photos were took from office rooms of those high buildings. GSM phone lines and some land lines were also cut out and very diffficult to contact even in local. GSM short message sending service is not working also. Burma is blacked out now!

Dr. Lun Swe's blog is another great source for latest photos and currently he blogged the photos of the prayer activities organized by some religious groups at Thai-Myanmar border.

Blogger Yan Aung proposes the Media Campaign. His aim is to free Burma within a year and his plans are:

To help Myanmar bloggers to overcome with blogspot.com restriction,
To utalize WordPress platform for future blogging,
To let the world know about blood shed in Myanmar via Youtube videos,
To distribute news photos to Major publishing agencies such as New York Times, Asahi Shinbon, Washington etc to get listed.

He's also trying to organize funding facilities for the protesters and is requesting multi-lingual translators for translation and effective communication with the international media.

Refugees Within blogs about a way to help the protesters in Burma.

A friend of mine has helped put an online donation mechanism together to get money to help support the protesters in Burma. There are already casualties and the medical services are not prepared to meet what is feared. I gave $30 here in Thailand and I trust the people behind this. Please think about doing the same: http://madnomad.com/ysb/