Facebook bans Myanmar national military TV network page

Facebook has banned Myanmar’s national military television network page after the military overran the country on Monday and arrested democratically-elected leaders. 

The Myawaddy page was banned on Monday after The Wall Street Journal reached out to Facebook and asked why the page was operational since it was banned back in 2018. Soon after, the page was taken down.

The page had more than 33,000 likes when Facebook took it down. It was originally banned in 2018 because Facebook said it promoted violence and hate, but a new page was made to support the network.

Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military who took control of the country after the military coup, was also banned from Facebook in 2018, along with 20 other Myanmar organizations and individuals. 

Rafael Frankel, a Facebook public policy director, told The Wall Street Journal that Facebook is “closely monitoring political events in Myanmar as they unfold” and is working to “stop misinformation and content that could incite further tensions.”

The company will also be removing content that supports the coup, spreads misinformation about the democratically-elected leaders, incites violence or calls for weapons in Myanmar. 

The international community, including the United States, has condemned the military coup in Myanmar after the armed forces took over the country on Monday and jailed leaders who were elected in November. 

“The United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or impede Myanmar’s democratic transition, and will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said.