Social media giant Facebook has banned military head Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as well as other army officials from its platform following the publication of a UN report that was scathing of the Myanmar military’s crackdown in northern Rakhine State last year. In a statement published on August 27, Facebook said it had banned 20 individuals and organisations in Myanmar because it wants to prevent them from using the service to “further inflame ethnic and religious tensions”. Facebook is by far the most popular website for most Myanmar internet users, and many official government announcements are made through the platform. Before the pages were banned, Min Aung Hlaing had two active Facebook accounts, one with 1.3 million followers and another with almost 3 million. Facebook has come under considerable criticism for failing to tackle online hate speech in Myanmar in recent years, which has coincided with religious violence in large parts of the country. In its report, the UN criticised Facebook for its “slow and ineffective” response, and called on the Security Council to refer Myanmar’s situation to the International Criminal Court. Myanmar’s military has largely denied any wrongdoing during its northern Rakhine operation.
Upcoming Events
- No events
- all events
Highlights
Terminals, ports, logistics, liner operations disrupted
German containerline Hapag Lloyd has announced a decision to temporarily suspend cargo bookings into Myanmar …Facebook, Instagram ban military and related pages with immediate effect
In a February 24th update to its February 11th statement, Facebook through its Director of …Luxury Japanese real-estate complex called out for funding military
Despite distancing itself from other major Western states imposing sanctions on military-linked individuals and entities, …
Myanmar in the Media
- Myanmar junta chief to make first China visit since seizing powerSource: Voice of America East AsiaNovember 4, 20241 day ago
- War makes it harder to hold journalists’ killers accountable, experts saySource: Voice of America East AsiaNovember 2, 20243 days ago
- Alleged leader of Rohingya smuggling gang arrestedSource: Bangkok Post Top StoriesNovember 2, 20243 days ago
- Junta airstrikes lay waste to civilian lives in Myanmar’s Karenni StateSource: Voice of America East AsiaNovember 1, 20245 days ago
Thura NewsViews
Myanmar’s most widely read newsletter on the country’s politics, economy and businesses brought to you by Thura Swiss