TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Myanmar sees nationwide electricity outage

People started posting on Twitter and Facebook about the widespread blackouts across commercial hub Yangon at around 1:30 pm local time (0600 GMT).

  (Agence France-Presse)
Yangon, Myanmar
Fri, March 5, 2021

Share This Article

Change Size

Myanmar sees nationwide electricity outage This photo taken on January 11, 2021 shows a Chin man setting up electricity for his house in Bethel village in Hmawbi, on the outskirts of Yangon. (Agence France Presse/Ye Aung Thu)

E

lectricity supply was cut across many areas of Myanmar on Friday because of a "system breakdown", according to multiple government agencies. 

People started posting on Twitter and Facebook about the widespread blackouts across commercial hub Yangon at around 1:30 pm local time (0600 GMT).

"A system breakdown is causing power outages across the country," reported Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation in central Yangon's Yankin township.

Further north in the city of Magway, along the Irrawaddy River, the region's Electricity Supply enterprise reported the same.

Netizens on Facebook -- an extremely popular platform in Myanmar -- similarly reported electricity blackouts in other parts of the country. 

The supply cut comes as the junta has tightened its chokehold on communications, blocking social media platforms -- which people have skirted by downloading VPNs -- and imposing a nightly internet shutdown. 

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the February 1 coup that ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power, with soldiers and police escalating the use of force on the streets to quell nationwide protests. 

 

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.