Bangladesh cuts access to mobile phone services for the Rohingya

The Bangladeshi government ordered a shutdown of telecommunication services at Rohingya camps according to a report. The main reason given by the government to back its action is to protect national security. This action followed after protests on 25 August, which also marked the second anniversary of the day many Rohingya fled Myanmar for Bangladesh “following a crackdown by Myanmar’s armed forces in 2017.”

According to the report, the government cited a series of violent crimes in the Rohingya camps and believed the crimes were coordinated using cell phones. The report further stated that the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) have been ordered to verify all mobile users in the camps. Mobile telecommunication companies were also instructed to weaken mobile signals in the border region with Myanmar and suspend the sale of SIM cards at the camps.