New Delhi: Chinese nationals, who had been livestreaming from the streets, neighbourhoods and homes of Dhaka’s Uttara neighbourhood, have disappeared following media reports about their activities and increased surveillance by local law enforcement agencies, Bengali daily Prothom Alo has reported.
For months, these vloggers had reportedly been filming across Uttara all day, taking their cameras into narrow alleyways, recording residential buildings, roads and local markets, and documenting the daily lives of residents. In some livestreams, they allegedly described different parts of Uttara as New Delhi, while making disparaging remarks about the lifestyle of local residents.
Since 7 November, however, their presence has noticeably declined, with residents saying they have not seen Chinese nationals filming in the neighbourhood for several days now, according to the report.
On 11 November, no Chinese nationals were seen livestreaming around Sector 12, Tekpara or other parts of Uttara.
Residents had earlier told Prothom Alo that more than 150 Chinese nationals were moving through Uttara’s lanes and bylanes, recording videos without explaining where the footage was being uploaded or how the neighbourhood and its inhabitants were being portrayed. Some of them had reportedly entered people’s homes to film.
The report also alleged that more than 100 vloggers were producing such videos daily, with Bangladeshi nationals being paid to assist them. The increased scrutiny appears to have prompted a response from the authorities.
According to Uttara West Police Station, law enforcement agencies stepped up surveillance after the media reports brought the activities to their attention. Police and intelligence personnel began monitoring the Chinese nationals, checking their passports and visas and questioning why they were undertaking such filming activities while travelling on tourist visas.
They were also advised to return to their country once their authorised period of stay expired.
Mohammad Khalid Mansur, officer-in-charge of Uttara West Police Station, told Prothom Alo that the vloggers’ activities had declined following the intervention by law enforcement agencies. “Members of the police and intelligence agencies are keeping a close watch on them. Their activities are being monitored through various agencies,” he said.
The change has been noticed by residents and workers who had grown accustomed to seeing cameras pointed at them throughout the day.
The activities have also drawn the attention of the Indian government, which has called for action against Chinese vloggers accused of using Bangladeshi territory to malign India. China’s embassy in Bangladesh is yet to comment on this.
Responding to media reports about the Chinese bloggers filming a suburb in Dhaka and portraying it as a ‘dirty’ Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said it was “unfortunate”, and that “peddling of false narratives only undermines the credibility of the actors involved and those behind them in such an exercise”.
“We have seen media reports in this regard. Such efforts to present a distorted picture of any country are unfortunate. In so far as efforts by foreign elements to portray parts of Dhaka as Delhi are concerned, peddling of false narratives only undermines the credibility of the actors involved and those behind them in such an exercise. We urge authorities concerned to take appropriate action against them,” the MEA said at a press briefing.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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