Update: Internet Access Restored In Myanmar

Yangon, Myanmar (AHN) - Internet users in Myanmar on Friday said they can access the world wide web again, according to reports. Internet connections were severed last week, reportedly to help end a sweeping tide of dissent that threatened to topple the military junta in control of Myanmar.

Last week, thousands of Buddhist monks and civilians took to the streets to push for democracy in the Asian nation. Reports say the government severed the Internet connection in an effort to stop the spread of images and video of soldiers and police violently dispersing crowds and arresting protesters.

A telecom official in Myanmar, however, said a damaged undersea communications cable was the cause for the disconnection. The restoration of Internet connections in Myanmar came on the same day the United Nations' International Telecommunications Union (ITU) said that no government has the right to disconnect its citizens from the Internet.

AFP quoted ITU head Hamadoun Toure as saying that the use of the Internet is a basic freedom and human right that needs to be preserved.