The move comes barely a day after a similar block of Facebook.
On Friday, Myanmar’s Ministry of Transport and Communications ordered cellular networks and ISPs in the country to block Twitter and Instagram, according to Norwegian company Telenor, which provides mobile services in the country.
“While the directive has a legal basis in Myanmar’s telecommunications law, Telenor Myanmar has challenged the necessity and proportionality of the directive … and stressed that the directive contradicts international human rights law,” the company said in a statement.
NetBlocks, a service that tracks internet outages and disconnections worldwide, reported Twitter(TWTR) restrictions on several other networks in Myanmar on Friday.
Twitter said it was “very concerned” about the order.
“It undermines public conversation and people’s rights to make their voices heard,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to CNN Business. “The open internet is increasingly under threat worldwide. We will continue to advocate for an end to destructive government-led shutdowns,” the spokesman added.
A spokesman for Facebook(FB), which owns Instagram and whose own platform was previously blocked on Thursday, said in a statement: “Telecom providers in Myanmar have been ordered to block Instagram permanently. We urge authorities to restore connectivity so that people in Myanmar can communicate with family and friends and access important information. “
The escalating crackdown on online services is part of the Myanmar military’s efforts to secure its hold on power after it deposed its democratically elected government earlier this week.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of the country, was detained along with President Win Myint and dozens of other high-ranking figures in their National League for Democracy (NLD) during pre-dawn raids. Hours later, the military declared that power had been turned over to Commander in Chief Min Aung Hlaing, in response to groundless allegations of electoral fraud. A state of emergency was declared for a year.
An arrest warrant was issued late Wednesday for Suu Kyi for unspecified “import and export” crimes, a NLD spokesman said, while Win Myint was detained under the country’s disaster management law.
While the dramatic overthrow of Suu Kyi’s government has attracted international attention, ongoing disruptions to internet access and communications mean that many in Myanmar are still unclear about what is happening.
– Philip Wang, James Griffiths and Helen Regan from CNN contributed to this report.
