After putting pressure on telecommunications companies, Myanmar’s military government bans executives from leaving By Reuters

Fanny Potkin

Singapore (Reuters)-A person with direct knowledge of the matter said that the Myanmar military government told foreign senior managers of Myanmar’s major telecommunications companies not to leave the country without permission.

The person familiar with the matter said that a confidential order issued by the Myanmar Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (PTD) in mid-June stated that foreigners and senior managers of Myanmar nationals must seek special authorization to leave the country.

A week later, the telecommunications company received a second letter telling them that they must fully implement the interception technology by Monday, July 5th. They were previously required to install it so that the authorities could monitor phone calls, messages, and network traffic, and track users themselves. The source said. Reuters has yet to see the order.

These instructions were issued after the military government put pressure on these companies. The military government is facing protests from opponents every day, and more and more insurgents want to activate spyware technology.

The military spokesperson did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The military government has never commented on electronic surveillance, but shortly after taking office, it announced that its goal was to pass a cybersecurity bill that would require telecommunications providers to provide data when required, and delete or prevent anything deemed to be sabotaged” “Unity, stability and stability” content. Peace”. It also revised the privacy law to free up security forces to intercept communications.

The travel ban came after military officials put pressure to complete the implementation of surveillance equipment. The source, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, said the ban was intended to force telecommunications companies to complete the activation of spyware technology, although the order itself did not explain why.

Three other telecommunications sources, who did not want to be named, said that the authorities have increased the pressure to intercept these companies, but declined to elaborate further. Two sources said that military officials have repeatedly warned the company not to speak publicly or to the media during the interception.

Telenor declined to comment. There was no immediate response to requests for comment from Ooredoo, state-owned MPT and Mytel (a joint venture between Vietnam’s Viettel and a conglomerate owned by the Myanmar military).

According to a Reuters report in May, a few months before the February 1 coup, telecommunications and Internet service providers were ordered to install intercepting spyware to allow the military to eavesdrop on citizens’ communications.

Reuters was unable to determine the scope of installation and deployment of surveillance technology, but four sources said that Norway’s Norwegian Telecom ASA (OTC:) and Qatar’s Ooredoo QPSC have not yet fully complied with.

The military’s first action on February 1 was to cut off Internet access, but it has not been fully restored. The telecommunications company regularly lists the websites to be blocked and the phone numbers of activists.

These measures have made the future of Myanmar’s telecommunications industry uncertain, which has been one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Telenor said on Friday that it is evaluating the future of its operations in the country, and a source told Reuters that it is considering selling its Myanmar unit.