Restrictions have been imposed on internet cafes in Sittwe by the Special Police Department to prevent users from sending information and photographs to the media in exile, said Zaw Ko, a student from Sittwe University.

"Police officials have ordered internet cafes in Sittwe to open a separate private room for operators of the cafes to monitor internet users. In the separate room, a computer would be linked with all the computers in the shop. Whenever a customer uses internet at the cafe, all their emails and address would appear on the computer screen of the operator, who will write the email address and circumstances of the email in his daily notebook," the student said.

Police officers visit the internet cafes in Sittwe every night to see the log and registration books.

"Most internet users know of the authority's restrictions on internet users in Sittwe. Because of it, users avoid sending information to the media in exile through internet cafes in Sittwe. We use the internet in Sittwe for normal purposes," he said.

A young internet cafe owner in Sittwe confirmed, saying, "Our business will be hurt if we do not follow the police order. So we do it every day and show the record to the police officers. If we kept the record secret, they will take away our operating permit from us."

In Sittwe, there are six internet cafes, and all are implementing the new system to track internet users out of fear of retribution by the police.

Another internet user in Sittwe said, "Every internet shop prohibits users from opening unnecessary websites, especially exiled media websites including the BBC, RFA, and Narinjara. The cafe owners have posted on notice boards which websites are blocked by the authorities."

According to student sources, many internet users in Sittwe follow the cafes' restrictions  on websites in order to avoid punishment by authorities.

In Sittwe, the price of surfing is only 500 kyats per hour, but many people who use the internet rarely visit the cafes in Sittwe.

Zaw Ko said, "Most internet users in Sittwe are university students, but the students at present do not visit the internet cafes in Sittwe due to such restrictions by the authority. Most internet shops in Sittwe are losing business from lack of customers."

It is estimated that under normal conditions, 20 internet cafes would be needed in Sittwe to meet the needs of current internet users in the city, but only six are operating because the restrictions have caused a fall in business, said the internet cafe owner.

**********