Myanmar Internet access severely limited: official
AFP / November 02, 2007

Internet connections in Myanmar have been severely limited, with online users restricted from accessing international websites for more than 24 hours, a government telecoms official said Friday.

"Internet users can open only local sites and local mail. For overseas sites and mail, the Internet has been down since 8:00 am Thursday," said an official from the state-owned telecoms provider Myanmar Teleport.

"It happened because the gateway is down. We don't know yet when it will be back up," the official told AFP without elaborating.

The apparent cut came shortly before the arrival of UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who will be in Myanmar Saturday to again press the country's rulers for reform, after a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in late September left 13 people dead.

Myanmar dissident websites and blogs have been particularly active in the lead-up to Gambari's visit, condemning the junta for its suppression of demonstrators and urging the international community to ramp up pressure on the regime.