Suu Kyi’s home wired for Internet connection

Friday, 21 January 2011 20:39 Phanida

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has received approval to use the Internet at her home, according to sources at the National League for Democracy (NLD).

On Thursday, technicians from the state-run Internet service provider, Yatanarpon Teleport, set up an Internet connection at her home on University Avenue Road in Rangoon.

In Burma, Internet connections are controlled by the junta and persons who apply for service must not be involved in politics according to rules set by the junta.

Shortly after her release from house arrest, she told Mizzima in an interview that although she would apply for the Internet permit, she would fill in the form saying that she would participate in politics.

“The connection is a communication technology called McWill. But, the telephone has not been installed. With this connection, she will not be able to use voice. Only an internet connection has been installed. Although they told us to provide 1 Megabyte, currently she has received 512 kilobytes. They said they would extend the bandwidth later’, an NLD technician told Mizzima.

The Internet installation cost at 560,000 kyat (about US$ 560).

Aung San Suu Kyi will apply for a ‘mail4you’ e-mail account, which is a product of Yatanarpon Teleport and the only officially authorized e-mail account in Burma. The authorities have access to allpasswords for mail4you e-mail accounts.

In addition, at the NLD headquarters on Shwegondine Road in Rangoon, a telephone system was authorized to be reinstalled after a three-year ban.

Aung San Suu Kyi expressed a wish to use the social networking site Twitter while she was under house arrest.

NLD spokesman Ohn Kyaing said that the NLD would set up a party website soon.

NLD members agreed that although the junta’s approval for the Internet service was not a dramatic change, it was an improvement.

According to figures by the Ministry of Communication in 2010, there were more than 400,000 Internet users across the country. Most are located in Rangoon and Mandalay.

Internet service was introduced in Burma in 2000, but the junta has strictly controls the Internet and websites launched by the opposition and news websites. Most social networking websites have been officially banned.