5/23/22, 1:06 AM Global Voices » It’s Open Season on Online Hate Speech in Myanmar · Global Voices » Print - Global Voices - https://globalvoices.org - It’s Open Season on Online Hate Speech in Myanmar Posted 2 May 2016 2:27 GMT 1 · Written by Juan Cebu Categories: East Asia, Myanmar (Burma), Citizen Media, Freedom of Speech, Human Rights, Advox [1] Source: No-Hate Speech Project / Facebook Activists have launched a page on Facebook dedicated to addressing the rising number of hate-speech cases in Myanmar. The “NoHate Speech Project,” available in both Burmese [2] and English [3], went live in March 2016 with the goal of educating Internet users in Myanmar about dealing [4] with hate speech on social media. We believe it [is] wrong to deny any group or individual the right to speak out because we oppose their views. Silencing some while favoring others is not a recipe for building tolerance. So we will offer to platform and fairly examine and discuss the ideas and opinions of all. It is important to understand that not all hate speech is deliberate or intended as such: It is also important to realize that sometimes hate speech comes from an honestly felt fear of the unknown. Myanmar's semi-civilian military-backed government, which has ruled since 1962, implemented some reforms related to freedom of expression in 2010, such as removing media censorship and unblocking various websites. Last year, the electoral defeat of the country's military-backed political party helped cement many of these democratic reforms. Over the past six years, during Myanmar's political transformation, Internet connectivity rose [5] from 0.2 percent in 2010 to 12.8 percent in 2015. But the improvement in digital infrastructure was also accompanied by a disturbing rise in hate speech. In particular, anti-Muslim statements flooded social media, which some analysts believe has contributed to the escalation of communal violence [6] across the country. Some ultra-nationalist groups, such as Ma-Ba-Tha led by radical Buddhist monks, publicly incited [7] hatred against the Muslim minority, especially the Rohingya ethnic group. A report [8] published in 2015 by the PEN Myanmar association of writers revealed that hate speech is more pervasive than previously reported. The study also found that hate speech targets not only Muslims, but also members of the political opposition, human rights activists, other ethnic minorities, and even ordinary Internet users who have expressed negative attitudes about the government. https://globalvoices.org/2016/05/02/its-open-season-on-online-hate-speech-in-myanmar/print/ 1/4