Starlink blockade cuts off lifeline for displaced people and humanitarian aid

Photo – Due to ongoing conflicts in Myanmar and intentional internet shutdowns by the military junta, normal communication networks are completely absent in about 80 out of 330 townships. Mizzima More than 200 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Myanmar have protested the renewed blocking of Starlink internet lines within the country, stating that it is severely impacting the public and humanitarian aid operations. They have jointly sent an open letter to the US government, SpaceX, and the international community, making a request. According to a statement released by Myanmar Internet Project on July 17, CSOs fully support efforts to crack down on online fraud syndicates. However, they pointed out that such widespread blocking is not only affecting places where crimes are committed but is also cutting off the main lifeline of communication for organizations assisting those displaced by conflict, hospitals, and schools. Currently, due to the ongoing conflicts in Myanmar and intentional internet shutdowns by the military junta, normal communication networks are completely absent in about 80 out of 330 townships. Approximately 13.3 million people reside in these blacked-out areas, and for them, Starlink is the sole lifeline communication infrastructure. The open letter states that the current blockade is causing impacts that could be life-threatening, severely affecting sectors such as coordination of humanitarian and medical assistance, early warning systems for aerial threats, public safety, public services, education, and the documentation of independent media and human rights. In areas where internet is unavailable, the dispatch of ground ambulances, distribution of relief supplies, and online emergency consultations for surgical procedures and childbirth for remote medical staff are being carried out using only Starlink lines. News outlets have pointed out that in areas of intense fighting, people rely on the internet for real-time early warnings of aerial threats and operations by the military junta. Due to the internet shutdown, civilians have no time to flee to safety, leaving tens of thousands of civilians trapped. Local administrative bodies such as the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Karenni State Interim Executive Council (IEC) are using Starlink to carry out education, health, and administrative tasks. Notably, nearly one million students in 5,963 interim community-based schools and 75 online schools registered under the National Unity Government (NUG) are facing the prospect of losing their right to education due to the disruption of internet lines. These satellite networks are primarily relied upon to securely send hundreds of pieces of evidence of war crimes and human rights violations to UN investigators and international monitoring groups. CSOs have pointed out that based on past experiences and data, such sweeping blockades cannot effectively dismantle technologically and financially strong criminal syndicates. They explain that cyber fraud syndicates have been operating on a large scale since before Starlink's emergence in late 2021, and their existence is based on deep structural problems such as weak governance, human trafficking, and economic vulnerability. The open letter highlights that this comprehensive blockade will only cause temporary difficulties for wealthy criminal syndicates, while effectively plunging rural populations, schools, and hospitals, which have no other alternatives, into long-term darkness. Furthermore, Myanmar is a significant market for satellite internet, and although Starlink currently leads, competing satellite ventures like China's Guowang LEO and SpaceSail are set to enter the market soon. It is also noted that if SpaceX completely shuts down its systems, criminal syndicates will easily switch to other internet systems, leaving only SpaceX to lose market share. CSOs, believing that technology policies can be implemented accurately and effectively without harming civilians, are urging SpaceX and relevant regulatory bodies to precisely select and block the coordinates of locations where fraud syndicates are present, based on data, rather than implementing a blanket blockade of entire regions. They are calling for the immediate restoration of Starlink services in areas of Magway, Sagaing, and Rakhine states, which are not associated with criminal syndicates, and have also indicated their readiness to assist ground-level CSOs in the process of verifying and confirming Starlink device owners to distinguish between humanitarian organizations and criminal syndicates.