News

DATE=8/13/98 TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT NUMBER=5-41141 TITLE=BURMA / CYBERWAR BYLINE=AUNG HLA DATELINE=WASHINGTON CONTENT= NOT VOICED: /// THE FOLLOWING BACKGROUNDER WAS ISSUED YESTERDAY BUT DID NOT APPEAR ON ALL WIRES /// INTRO: AS A RESULT OF THE INTERNET -- AND ESPECIALLY THE WORLDWIDE WEB -- AWARENESS OF THE POLITICAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN BURMA HAS INCREASED. AUNG HLA (PRON: OUNG LAH) OF V-O-A'S BURMESE SERVICE REPORTS THE BURMESE MILITARY IS REPORTED TO HAVE ESTABLISHED A SPECIAL ELECTRONIC WARFARE CENTER TO COUNTER THE SUCCESS DEMOCRATIC GROUPS HAVE HAD IN SPREADING THEIR INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET: TEXT: THIS AUGUST MARKS THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF MONTH-LONG PROTESTS BY THE BURMESE PEOPLE WHICH BROUGHT DOWN TWO MILITARY-BACKED GOVERNMENTS. EVENTUALLY, BURMA'S MILITARY VIOLENTLY SUPPRESSED THE DEMONSTRATIONS AND ASSUMED POWER. ALTHOUGH THE EXACT DEATH TOLL REMAINS UNKNOWN, IT IS WIDELY ACCEPTED THAT BURMESE TROOPS KILLED TWO TO THREE THOUSAND PEOPLE. SOON AFTER THE MILITARY COUP IN SEPTEMBER OF 1988, BURMESE DISSIDENTS WHO FLED THE COUNTRY BEGAN TO USE THE INTERNET TO SPREAD INFORMATION AND TO KEEP INFORMED ABOUT CONDITIONS IN BURMA UNDER MILITARY RULE. IN THE YEARS SINCE THEN, THE USE OF THE INTERNET BY BURMESE DISSIDENTS HAS GROWN DRAMATICALLY. TODAY, NUMEROUS WEBSITES -- MANY OF THEM LINKED WITH ONE ANOTHER -- CONTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT BURMA'S POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION. E-MAIL TRAFFIC ON THE "SOCIAL CULTURE BURMA" DISCUSSION GROUP IS HEAVY. DEMOCRACY GROUPS COORDINATE ACTIVITIES THROUGH THIS NEWSGROUP, AS WELL AS WEBSITES AND MAILING LISTS RELATED TO BURMA. IN 1997, THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT CREATED ITS OWN WEBSITES AND MAILING LISTS IN AN EFFORT TO COUNTER THE DISSIDENTS. MICHAEL BEER, DIRECTOR OF A WASHINGTON, D.C.-BASED GROUP CALLED NON-VIOLENCE INTERNATIONAL, MONITORS THE MESSAGES AND INFORMATION POSTED BY BOTH SIDES. HE SAYS THERE WERE THREE PHASES IN THE CYBERWAR BETWEEN THE BURMESE MILITARY AND PRO-DEMOCRACY GROUPS: /// BEER ACT /// THE FIRST PHASE OF THIS CONFLICT ON THE INTERNET WAS IN THE EARLY 1990'S WHEN ELECTRONIC MAIL BECAME VERY WIDESPREAD IN THE UNITED STATES, AND IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD. THIS WAS THE ELECTRONIC MAIL PHASE OF THE INTERNET CONFLICT. AND THIS FIRST PHASE WAS ALL IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, AND WAS TOTALLY DOMINATED BY THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE. THE SECOND PHASE OF THE INTERNET CONFLICT BEGAN WITH THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD WIDE WEB. AND THE FREE BURMA MOVEMENT AND FREE BURMA COALITION WAS AMONG THE FIRST, IF NOT THE FIRST, POLITICAL ORGANIZATION USING THE WORLD WIDE WEB. AND IT WAS WELL-COORDINATED IN A WAY THAT IT HAD NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. /// END ACT /// MR. BEER SAYS THE THIRD PHASE WILL BE IN ETHNIC LANGUAGES OF BURMA, AND ALSO TAKES THE FORM OF MULTI-MEDIA PRESENTATIONS -- USING STILL AND VIDEO IMAGES. JANE'S DEFENCE WEEKLY REPORTED RECENTLY THAT BURMA'S MILITARY INTELLIGENCE SECTION NOW HAS THE LARGEST COMPUTER FACILITY IN BURMA AND ITS MAIN PURPOSE IS TO COUNTER INFORMATION PUT OUT BY BURMA DEMOCRACY GROUPS. KNOWN AS THE CYBERWAR CENTER, THIS FACILITY IS ALSO REPORTED TO BE CAPABLE OF INTERCEPTING SATELLITE TELEPHONE TRANSMISSIONS. // OPT // BURMESE DISSIDENTS AND PRO-DEMOCRACY GROUPS POST ABOUT 120 MESSAGES A MONTH ON THE "SOCIAL CULTURE BURMA" NEWS GROUP, WHILE THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE SUPPORTING IT POST ABOUT 110 MESSAGES A MONTH. IN ADDITION, ABOUT 100 MESSAGES A MONTH ARE POSTED BY PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DISCUSS THE OVERALL POLITICAL SITUATION IN BURMA. // END OPT // COBAN TUN -- AN EXILED BURMESE LIVING IN SAN FRANCISCO -- SAYS THE INFORMATION DISTRIBUTED BY THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT CANNOT MATCH THE MATERIAL REPORTED BY ESTABLISHED MEDIA AND POSTED BY PRO-DEMOCRACY GROUPS BECAUSE ITS INFORMATION IS USUALLY UNINFORMATIVE: /// TUN ACT /// UNFORTUNATELY, THEIR EFFORT BECOMES MORE OF A DISADVANTAGE FOR THEM BECAUSE THEY PUT STUFF OUT THAT IS SO RIDICULOUS THAT PEOPLE JUST LAUGH AT THEM. AT LEAST I DO. BUT THERE WILL BE SERIOUS PROBLEMS GOING ON IN RANGOON INVOLVING AUNG SAN SUU KYI AND THE CONTINUED CLOSURE OF SCHOOLS. AND WHAT DO THEY PUT OUT? THEY PUT OUT STUFF LIKE - OH! SO AND SO GENERAL WOULD INSPECT THIS ROAD, OR SO AND SO GENERAL RECEIVED SO AND SO FROM SOME COUNTRY. WELL THAT'S ALL GREAT. BUT WHAT DID THEY TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW? SO THEY'RE NOT DOING WELL ON THE INTERNET IN MY OPINION. /// END ACT /// THE INTERNET HAS HELPED BURMESE DEMOCRACY GROUPS SPREAD THEIR CAMPAIGN FOR POLITICAL CHANGE IN BURMA. THESE GROUPS HAVE USED THE INTERNET IN A CAMPAIGN THAT HAS SO FAR LED 21 CITIES AND OTHER LOCALITIES IN THE UNITED STATES TO PASS LAWS RESTRICTING BUSINESS WITH COMPANIES DOING BUSINESS IN BURMA. (SIGNED) EAP/AH/DAR/KL 14-Aug-98 10:09 AM EDT (1409 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .