MYANMAR Junta Launches Street Phone Checks as Cybersecurity Law Takes Effect

Posted by Asia Views | Aug 7, 2025 | 0 |

Irrawaddy-Aug 6

Junta patrols by soldiers, Pyu Saw Htee militia and traffic police have started checking the phones of pedestrians and motorists in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, after junta boss Min Aung Hlaing signed the Cybersecurity Law into effect on July 30.

According to locals, these checks go beyond routine vehicle and driving license verification and now include invasive searches of mobile phones for social media usage and Virtual Private Network (VPN) software. “I thought it was just a regular license check, so I stopped my motorbike. Once they saw everything was in order, they inspected my phone. After failing to find VPN software or Facebook on my phone, they accused me of deleting them,” said a 25-year-old man from Maha Aungmyay Township. “Then they started digging through my photos and videos. They wore militia uniforms and were around the same age as me.”

The junta passed its repressive Cybersecurity Law on Jan. 1, criminalizing the use of VPNs and penalizing users who access banned sites or share information from them. A digital rights advocate said the law violates fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression, the right to access information, and cyber freedoms, while granting the junta legal cover for its suppression. The junta banned the use of VPNs in May 2024. The Cybersecurity Law extends beyond Myanmar’s borders to vessels or aircraft registered under its laws, and even Myanmar citizens using the internet abroad. Under the law, establishing or providing VPN services without authorization is punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a fine up to 10 million kyats (around US$ 4,750). The regime has also begun verifying identities with the Person Scrutinization and Monitoring System (PSMS)—a digital surveillance tool developed with Chinese technical support. The system enables authorities to cross-check national registration numbers against criminal records at checkpoints, hotels, and ticketing counters. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-launches-street-phone-checks-as-cybersecurity-law-takes-effect.html

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

MYANMAR Junta Launches Street Phone Checks as Cybersecurity Law Takes Effect

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