Phone, internet outages in Kachin State hamper financial support for students abroad

With phone connections, mobile data services, and Wi-Fi networks down throughout Kachin State, families are struggling to send money to their children studying abroad.

The mobile phone and internet network outages in Kachin State began on July 21 and have now lasted for over two weeks. A worrying student studying abroad told KNG that those pursuing education overseas are beginning to face financial crises due to being completely cut off from their families.

“If these network outages continue, we may not be able to pay our school fees on time. This could lead to such a dire situation that we might have to drop out of school,” he lamented.

The network outages in Kachin State have brought all mobile banking services and online money transfer systems to a standstill. As a consequence, families are unable to send money to students studying abroad, leaving these students to face serious financial difficulties.

A Kachin student majoring in economics in Bangkok, Thailand, also said that he is having trouble paying for rent and food due to not receiving money from home.

“I usually receive money transferred from home using KPay, (a popular mobile banking service app). Now, with all internet access lost throughout Kachin State, I can’t receive money sent from home anymore. I have already paid school fees for the first semester, so I feel a little relieved about that for now. However, the money I have left for rent and buying food will only cover this month. If the internet outage continues, I’ll have to worry about expenses after that,” he told KNG.

Currently, some overseas students from Kachin State are desperately seeking short-term solutions to address their looming financial shortages. Meanwhile, others are looking for part-time jobs and scholarship opportunities to sustain themselves during this turbulent period.

Meanwhile, military tensions remain high across Kachin State, and not only internet outages but also other issues that could cut off financial channels from families to overseas students may arise at any time. Consequently, some students are considering a contingency plan: dropping out of school and securing a job in their current country.

On July 29, it was reported that the phone and internet network outages, which began on July 21, have been restored in some locations in Myitkyina City and Waingmaw Town in Kachin State. However, this restored connectivity is only available in a few downtown areas and around some government offices. The rest of Kachin State continues to grapple with a complete internet blackout.

When KNG reached out to the junta-appointed Chief Minister of Kachin State, U Khet Htein Nan, to inquire about the cause of the severe phone and internet outages, he replied that the issue was due to damaged cable lines in Sagaing Region, which borders Kachin State.

” The primary issue is faulty cables in Sagaing. Repair work has been completed to restore phone lines in some downtown areas,” U Khet Htein Nan stated.

He did not provide details on why the cables were damaged.

Since the coup, Kachin State has experienced frequent and widespread phone and internet outages. Some political analysts suggest that this latest blackout may have been intentionally orchestrated by the junta due to the military situation in the region.

According to the “Freedom on the Net” report released by Freedom House in October 2023, Myanmar ranked as the second worst nation globally for internet freedom, surpassed only by China.