Internet Access Amid Darkness and Lives Amid Threats You’re not connected Furthermore, the internet connection was cut off in Hpe Khon, a township in the border area between Shan State and Kayah State (Karenni State) following ferocious combats between the local defense force and the regime troops.20 (3.6) Kachin State Affected people – 386,795 Township Hpakant Total affected population Population 386,795 386,795 More than 380,000 people in the Hpakant township of Kachin State have been affected by internet blackout since 20 August 2021 at 9 pm. Unlike the other territories affected by internet blackout, Hpakant has not been home to intense armed conflicts after the coup. In an interview, a resident of Hpakant said, "You have to pay between 5,000 and 10,000 Kyats to use the internet for an hour, but just for texting. Only businessmen can install very expensive satellite internet at home. One month's price for 2 Mb of data is 1,500,000 Kyats, and 10 Mb of data is 9,000,000 Kyats. We gained information in the past when we had internet access. Now, we have to pay a gigantic amount of money to gather information". He also shared his knowledge on the reason for the internet blackout in Hpakant, "People belatedly realised that internet was blacked out in Hpakant was not because of escalation of military tension. The blackout was deliberately staged for illegal jade mining in the area". Hpakant has endured the suspension of internet connectivity for nine months without armed combats in the area. Myanmar's military and other ethnic revolutionary organisations are endeavouring in various ways to gain territorial control, sometimes committing illegal activities and human rights violations, in the mineral-rich area. 20 မို်းပ ပမိ ွဲ့ထြေါ်တင် တိုက်ြဖြင််း န်ထနပြ်း အင်တာနက်မျာ်းြါ ဖဖတ်ထတာက်ခရ. (2022 February 17). The Irrawaddy. https://www.facebook.com/121507374560090/posts/5418107811566660 12