The two websites are currently up and running although the attack continues.
Marked the anniversary?
Details surrounding the attacks – the first of which began shortly after midnight on 27 September – are still being investigated. The method being used is DDoS, or distributed denial-of-service, which fires thousands of malformed web connections against a website, causing it to become inaccessible.
On 27 September Burmese news websites Mizzima was also under attack. English and Burmese online editions of the Irrawaddy were shut down because of the cyber attack.
The attack came on the third anniversary of the Saffron Revolution, the monk-led demonstrations in 2007. The Irrawaddy, DVB, Mizzima and a fourth site, Khitpyaing, were all attacked by DDoS in September 2008.
There are speculations that the Burmese junta is carrying out a test run prior to the controversial polls on 7 November. It is feared that more attacks are on the way.
Independent news needed
According to media watchdog Reporters sans frontières (Reporters Without Borders – RSF): “It is essential that these websites continue to operate in order to provide the Burmese people and the rest of the world with independent news and information about the upcoming elections. The use of cyber attacks against independent news websites is a cowardly tactic used by those who feel threatened by the truth. We strongly condemn such acts.”
The calls were echoed by the managing director of Media Frontiers, Thomas Hughes, who said that “it is important that the international community comes together, not only in condemning these attacks, but in actively seeking to provide any means necessary to keep these sites online and accessible”.
Burma already has some of the world’s most draconian media laws, and ranked 171 out of 175 countries in the
RSF Press Freedom Index for 2009. Burma is also labelled by the organization an “Enemy of the Internet”.
Out of the 2,150-plus political prisoners in Burma, around 15 are journalists, and the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) last year branded Burma “the worst country to be a blogger”.
HRH Oslo, based on Reports Without Borders and the Irrawaddy information (see original articles here and here).
Related links:
Burma: no visas for foreigners before election, NLD announces boycott
The least free places on Earth: 2010
Burma: 2010 elections will define the political landscape for years to come
 and The Irrawaddy magazine, which provide independent coverage of current affairs in Burma (Republic of the Union of Myanmar), have been the target of intense attacks which it is believed originate from the Burmese government.&redirect_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F){kind=link}