According to residents, members of the military council in some Townships in Mon State, including Mawlamyine City, are checking the phones of the VPN app users, as they are trying to ban the use of VPNs called Virtual Private Networks, which are currently being used through social networks such as Facebook, Messenger, etc.
Since the beginning of June, mobile phones have been checked by military council officers and IT specialists at the entrances and exits and intersections of Mawlamyine City. A resident of Mawlamyine said that they are asking for up to 100 000 Kyats if they find a VPN app on their phones.
“The main thing is the police under Pyu Saw Thee. And those who are experts in IT. Young and middle-aged people are more scrutinized. If they find a VPN, they ask for money. Looking at the situation of 50 000 – 100 000 Kyat. If we can’t pay immediately, they call the person at home and ask them to send the money,” he added.
He said that young people who are technically skilled use Hide Software Application to be safe when they go out, but there is no feeling of security.
Although the Military Council has not officially announced that an action will be taken if the VPN software is used through the Military Council and the policemen under the Military Council. According to a person close to the Mon State government, departmental employees have been making threats to demand money from the people and they have not been able to keep it .
In the same way, there is a lot of traffic in the city in front of the first high school of Ye Town and at the traffic lights, there are policemen under the Military Council. Residents say that Pyu Saw Thee and the department’s staff are conducting checks on the public and threatening extortion to those who use VPN software.
“They are checking at the traffic light in the main city and then in front of the first high school of Ye Town. There is checking after setting the location. They are checking randomly. If it’s somewhere, it takes an hour or two to check at most, then they move to another location. If you are found to have a VPN, you have to pay at least 200 000 Kyat,” said a Ye Town resident.
In addition to extorting VPN users in some regions of Myanmar, including Mon State, more prohibitions to use the VPN software are reported.
Starting from the middle of last May, the phone line was cut off in Mon State. I have experienced the loss of Internet lines and the inability to connect to the VPN that some apps, including Facebook and the Massager App, have to go through in order to use them.
Due to the current VPN problem, those doing online selling are experiencing a decline in sales. It is reported that social and public welfare issues are also affected.
