21 February 2021
Facebook removes Myanmar military’s page
A few hours after the deaths of demonstrators during protests against the coup in Myanmar, Facebook removed a website for the military there. The homepage of the Tatmadaw True News Information Team has repeatedly violated guidelines that prohibit incitement to violence and preparations for causing damage, said an employee of the online network on Saturday evening (local time). The armed forces of the Southeast Asian country are known as the Tatmadaw.
In Myanmar (formerly: Burma) there have been protests against the coup for almost three weeks. The military had toppled the elected head of government, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, in early February. According to media reports, at least two demonstrators died during protests in the city of Mandalay on Saturday. Several people were injured after security forces shot protesters with live ammunition. Independent verification of the data is not possible.
In mid-February, Facebook announced that it viewed the situation in Myanmar as “an emergency”. The group will “significantly reduce” the spread of false information by the military. Facebook is widespread in the country of more than 50 million people.
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