Nigeria, Feb. 16 -- For the past two nights, Kyaw Soe has felt a knot in his stomach as he imagines family members, friends and colleagues swept up in night-time raids, increasingly common since Myanmar's military coup of February 1.

His calls on local networks will not go through, and he cannot find out if they are safe until restrictions are lifted in the morning.

"I can't sleep well, or eat either," said Kyaw Soe, a local journalist who is in hiding and using a pseudonym for fear of being arrested himself. "I just have to give up and wait."

The junta that seized power has plunged the country into two consecutive overnight internet blackouts, as it attempts to extinguish popular resistance to its rule.

With communications restricted...