[liberationtech] Satellite phones for Rohingya in Burma

[Asher Wolf]

I noticed while trawling media lately the Saudis have been using local
boats to bring in some supplies?

- Asher


On 18/03/13 9:29 AM, ttscanada wrote:
> 
> Thanks Mark, interesting. Was this recently?
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Heather Marsh
> @GeorgieBC on Twitter
> 
> 
> 
> On 13-03-17 2:18 PM, Mark Belinsky wrote:
>> In my work with the Rohingya and research into communications systems
>> in Arakan state in the Western portion of the country, it was notable
>> that there was data coverage spilling over from neighboring Bangladesh
>> and people were using these towers to transmit information across
>> borders.
>>
>> All the best,
>> Mark
>>
>>
>>
>> --_
>> @mbelinsky <https://twitter.com/mbelinsky>| markbelinsky.com
>> <https://markbelinsky.com>| phone: +1-347-466-9327| skype: markontheline
>> _
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Mar 17, 2013 at 4:49 PM, ttscanada <ttscanada at riseup.net
>> <mailto:ttscanada at riseup.net>> wrote:
>>
>>     Very good points, thanks, Jake. We were thinking more of phones
>>     since it appears they are more paranoid of cameras than phones,
>>     but you have a very good point, phones are more easily controlled.
>>     Rethinking.
>>
>>
>>     All the best,
>>
>>     Heather Marsh
>>     @GeorgieBC on Twitter
>>
>>
>>     On 13-03-17 1:25 PM, Jacob Appelbaum wrote:
>>
>>         ttscanada:
>>
>>             Hi Jacob,
>>
>>             Yes, exactly to the security issues, which is why we have
>>             tried nothing
>>             to date, any Rohingya caught with anything like a camera
>>             or radio is
>>             tortured and killed. Ease of use is also paramount, there
>>             is no point
>>             risking lives to get a phone in that no one can use. We are
>>             unfortunately at final wipeout stage and the people there
>>             are agreed
>>             that the risk of being killed is 100% with or without
>>             phones. I don't
>>             know of anything except satellite phones they could use to
>>             document. The
>>             military is definitely paranoid of cameras, phones and
>>             outsiders atm.
>>             The situation in every refugee camp outside Burma is also
>>             awful, but
>>             still not at the stage where it is worth risking lives. We
>>             have managed
>>             to get some pictures (like of Rakhine flyers announcing
>>             the next
>>             massacre) but almost nothing out of Sittwe. There is
>>             plenty that needs
>>             documenting in the surrounding areas though.
>>
>>             In any case, they know they will die, they don't want to
>>             die without a
>>             trace. I am slightly more optimistic that if we get some
>>             pictures out
>>             some of them won't die at all, we have it from good
>>             sources that the
>>             government is already very annoyed at the small publicity
>>             we have
>>             created and worried at the war crimes documentation. The
>>             government's
>>             official position is that the Rohingya don't actually
>>             exist, or if they
>>             did they just left.
>>
>>         The situation with the Rohingya is heart breaking. :(
>>
>>         If it is possible, I would suggest trying to bring cameras
>>         like the GoPro:
>>
>>         http://gopro.com/
>>
>>         They're not easy or cheap in that part of the world. They are
>>         certainly
>>         easier to pass on, harder to detect and have a quality that is
>>         rarely
>>         available to any phone camera. Obviously, any camera is better
>>         than no
>>         camera for documenting but those are generally weather proofed
>> for
>>         serious use.
>>
>>         It seems like physical smuggling or geo-caching of the data
>>         would be
>>         much safer than a sat phone that can be *tracked* and *jammed*
>>         simultaneously. At least with geo-caching, one could pass
>>         along the
>>         coordinates for evidence later and then perhaps at a later
>>         date, we will
>>         have the evidence stored, found and released.
>>
>>         As far as physical smuggling, I suspect that people would need to
>>         swallow the media cards or to sew them into clothing. That
>>         would allow
>>         the cameras to stay in the area but for the data to trickle out.
>>
>>         I wish that there was more that I could offer but areas with the
>>         Rohingya is very hard to reach. If there is information that
>>         you would
>>         like to discuss more privately, I welcome contact with GnuPG
>>         or with OTR
>>         off list.
>>
>>         If you are able to get the data to a major city, I think that
>>         physical
>>         transport *of a copy* will be your best bet for getting the
>>         data out
>>         quickly.
>>
>>         All the best,
>>         Jacob
>>         --
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