Internet plays critical role in Burma's protests

The internet is playing a useful tool in dispersing information, and one-man news agencies are springing up overnight in Burma to spread the word on events and are helping major news media such as the BBC using it to supplement their coverage.

London-based blogger Ko Htike wrote on the BBC website: "I have about 10 people inside, in different locations. All my people are among the Buddhists; they are walking along with the march and as soon as they get any images or news they pop into internet cafes and send it to me." 

Surprisingly the government has yet to shut down internet connections, though there are recent reports of closures of cybercafes and the disconnection of mobile telephones.

Agencies are also pulling photos taken by locals on the scene able to take pictures that no one else can get with their mobile phones and downloading them to the internet and the world.

One site, moemaka.blogspot.com, doesn't care who uses their photos and is not concerned about copyright or financial reimbursements, according to Japanese freelance photographer Dai Kurokawa.

"They are  just interested in getting the photos out and seen," said Kurokawa who has spent time in Myanmar documenting the plight of the people.

Many of the photos are taken by friends of the bloggers and with the slow download times of the internet, now getting bogged down with the increase of traffic,is putting many in danger of arrest as they patiently download their photos.

MMEDWAtch (Myanmar, Media and Education Development Watch) is also posting photos, news and has a forum that is primarily in Myanmar script.

The Democratic Voice of Burma, an opposition radio station, funded by among others the governments of Norway, Denmark and Sweden, broadcasts via satellite and shortwave to Myanmar and has been gathering information from reporters who then use mobile phones or cybercafes to relay back the information.

There was no such free-flow of information during the 1988 uprisings, where little information was released about the protests nor the up to 3,000 killed.

For those who sympathize with the monks and laymen of Myanmar, there are petitions being sent via email to forward, www.petitiononline.com/9848 is addressed to the UN Security Council to protect the people of Burma, and others are joining groups.

On social networking site Facebook the "Support the Monks' protest in Burma" group has quickly swelled to 35,000 "friends" listing news updates and protests planned at the Myanmar's embassy at across the globe.//DPA