Internet Access Amid Darkness and Lives Amid Threats You’re not connected to prevent PDFs in my area from attacking them with remote-controlled bombs. Particularly, they wanted to obliterate PDF military bases in our Sagaing Region. I have another opinion that they cut the internet to prevent PDFs and their donors in foreign countries from communicating with each other. … Some politicians I know estimated that the military wanted to infiltrate Chin State and this part (Region). They cut the internet with a belief that they could completely occupy the central part of Burma if they have territorial control by infiltrating this Yinmabin township and Pale township. Furthermore, they could move easily during the internet blackout". She also pointed out that the difficulty for the regime troops to mobilise their units from place to place due to information related to their movement spread by the residents on social media might be another reason why the military cut internet access and mobile phone line over the area. Another student from Kale township confirmed the temporary internet and mobile phone blackout in her township during the regime troops' military offensive against the local PDFs and LDFs as it mainly aimed to cut the connection between military units of PDFs. "I think the internet and mobile phone lines were cut to prevent the PDF units from contacting and communicating with each other during the combats. As far as I know, there are different groups with different activities in my area such as bombers and gunfighters. I think it (internet blackout) was aimed for making them incommunicado". (4.2) Internet Blackout and Security of Local Residents The brutal military committed several human rights violations including internet blackout to cut the information flow, using airstrikes to bomb innocent civilians in villages, and unreasonably burning the villages within the extremely war-torn areas. Besides, the military junta issued an order impelling the telecommunications operators to help it make surveillance and eavesdropping on in effect to orchestrate widespread stalking, arrest, detain, and murder. A resident in Gangaw township acknowledged, "Only 2G internet was accessed and connection has been being poor for about 20 days even we set up Wi-Fi internet as we prepared for internet blackout … I am concerned if the world and stakeholders are not aware of the lawless and violent arrest, killing, and arson in my area. And, I am very concerned if I am arrested after they eavesdropped on my phone calls and got my location". A student living in western Yinmabin said, "At first, I was very scared when internet and mobile phone access was cut off because, as mentioned earlier, once the telephone lines are cut, the military always burns down the villages, bombs by plane and wages combats. So, we packed and collected dry food and ration and then fled with the families to the forest. …We have not experienced bombing in our village, but we already dug trenches in the village and agreed to hide in the Gramineae grasses beside the main creek. But, I don't think we will have enough time if the military launches an airstrike. We won't even get information as there is no internet access. We did not have time to do anything either when neighboring villages were hit by bombs. The main problem is the lack of internet. We did not even have time to flee as we gained no information". In earlier times, the residents built some buildings and shelters somewhere in the forest for the villagers to take sanctuary if the brutal military advanced on the village. According to the interview answers, however, the residents found it difficult to flee from the village and finally have no other option left but to face the military troops as they made attacks from both ground and air. 15