As though to prove wrong a report that recently described Burma as one of the top 20 "enemies of the Internet", the military-run south-east-Asian country has permitted a cybercafe to begin operating in the capital city Rangoon - but without Internet access.
The cybercafe at Innwa Bookstore, possibly the world's only Internet cafe with no Net access, was reported to be the first of its kind in Burma by MyaBuzz, a Thailand-based business newsletter.
Instead of accessing the Net, customers at the cybercafe on Sule Pagoda Road may borrow CD Roms that have passed the military junta's stringent censorship. Customers may also use the multimedia computers for word-processing or other tasks - during periods of the day that are free of Rangoon's regular electricity black-outs. They are also invited to register for the unavailable Internet access, reports MyaBuzz.
In a recent report, the journalists' organisation Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) described Burma (also known as Myanmar) as one of 20 countries that could be described as "real enemies" of the Internet because they "control access totally or partially, have censored websites or taken action against users". A further 25 countries restrict access to a lesser degree.
In Burma, it is illegal to own a fax machine or a modem without a licence, and breaking the law carries a jail sentence of up to 15 years. Leo Nichols, a Burmese businessman, honorary consul for Norway, and a friend of Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, died in prison some years ago while serving a three-year sentence for possession of a fax machine.
RSF says that in Burma, Internet censorship "is total, due to a state monopoly on access". Television, radio, videos, CDs, newspapers and books are also subject to blanket state censorship and thousands of Burmese rely on BBC broadcasts for news about the country.
Other countries in the top 20 Internet "enemies" list include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan in central Asia and the Caucasus. In the Middle East and Africa, RSF highlights Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Tunisia, along with Sierra Leone and Sudan. Also on the RSF list are Cuba, Vietnam, China and North Korea.
"On the pretext of protecting the public from `subversive ideas' or defending `national security and unity', some governments totally prevent their citizens from gaining access to the Internet," says RSF. "Others control a single Internet Services Provider (ISP) or even several, installing filters blocking access to websites regarded as unsuitable and sometimes forcing users to officially register with the authorities."
Authoritarian regimes may regard the Internet as a "two-edged sword" says RSF, because while the Net provides free access to international sources of information and thwarts some authorities' control of information, it also promotes economic growth through online transactions and the sharing of information. "The economic argument seems to be winning the day in countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, where controlling `dangerous' sites is proving difficult for the authorities," says RSF.
Although Burma restricts Internet access to a tiny minority of organisations and individuals close to the regime, and monitors messages closely, the military junta, known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) is an enthusiastic sender of information and propaganda to international Burma discussion areas on the Net.
The junta also operates a home page at www.myanmar.com, which was recently featured on the site of the giant international online service America On-Line, prompting fierce protests earlier this month from the Free Burma Coalition (www.freeburmacoalition.org), a pro-democracy group based in the US. Myanmar.com contains mainly information for tourists, but the cybercafe at Innwa Books does not feature on its list of attractions.