INTERNET : ''US URGES BURMA''

US urges Burma to restore Internet in Rakhine, Chin states.

WASHINGTON : The united States urged Burma on Saturday to restore Internet connections in the volatile Rakhine and China region, which is also home to an estimated one million Rohingya Muslims.

''The United States is deeply concerned by the ongoing shutdown of mobile data services in violence-affected areas of a Rakhine and Chin states in Burma,'' said a statement issued by the US State Department in Washington.

The shutdown has curtailed internet based communication to and from Rakhine, which is home to the Rohingya Muslims, and to the adjacent Chin state.

The Buddhist majority Burma also faces an insurgency in the Christian majority China State.

''Internet service should be restored without delay. Resumption of service should help facilitate transparency in and accountability for what the government forces were doing in the region,the statement added.

The State Department said the United States will continue to support efforts toward a negotiated end to violence and accountability for those who commit human rights abuses and violations.

The US based Human Rights Watch reported on Friday that the disruption to Internet services since June 21, 2019 had ''exacerbated an international blackout and increased difficulties for humanitarian  agencies and human rights groups to assist vulnerable populations in the face of increased fighting in the area.''