Chinese vloggers no longer seen in Uttara, what were they doing?

Chinese nationals used to roam various areas of the capital’s Uttara livestreaming from morning until night. Alleys, people’s homes, streets—nothing was spared by their cameras.

In these videos, they introduced various locations in Uttara as New Delhi, the capital of India, while also making various negative remarks about the lifestyle of local residents. However, since 7 November, they have no longer been seen livestreaming in different parts of Uttara.

Local residents say they have not noticed Chinese nationals moving around different parts of Uttara for the past few days.

Meanwhile, police at the local police station say surveillance and law enforcement activities have been stepped up following media reports. Since then, the activities of the Chinese nationals have declined.

On 6 November, Prothom Alo published an online report titled ‘Chinese citizens making live videos from morning till night, even going inside people’s homes’.

On 11 November, no Chinese nationals were seen livestreaming as this correspondent visited Sector 12 of Uttara, Tekpara and various nearby areas. Local residents also said they had not noticed Chinese nationals in these areas for the past few days.

Mohammad Selim, a resident of Tekpara, told Prothom Alo, “I have been at home for the past two days because I have been ill. I haven’t seen any Chinese nationals coming here. Previously, there was no count of how many Chinese men and women would come and make videos in a single day.”

Rickshaws are parked in rows at the entrance to a bridge over the canal beside Sector 12 of Uttara. Imam ul Islam, a rickshaw puller there, said, “This bridge used to be a Chinese hangout. They would make videos here day and night. They filmed us and the passengers too. I haven’t seen them for some time. I don’t know if something has happened.”

Sources at Uttara West Police Station said that, following media reports, law enforcement agencies had stepped up surveillance of Chinese nationals. On the instructions of senior authorities, police and intelligence agency personnel began monitoring their activities.

During this period, the Chinese nationals were asked to show their visas and passports. They were also questioned about why they were engaging in such activities while in the country on tourist visas. In addition, they were told to return to their country once their permitted stay has expired, the sourced said.

Mohammad Khalid Mansur, officer-in-charge (OC) of Uttara West Police Station, told Prothom Alo that the activities of the Chinese nationals have declined following action by law enforcement agencies. Police and intelligence agency personnel were keeping them under surveillance. Their activities were also being monitored through various agencies.

India has said that it was essential to take action against Chinese vloggers accused of using Bangladeshi territory to malign India’s image. Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remarks on 10 November in response to a question at the ministry’s regular briefing in New Delhi.

The spokesperson said the reports in Bangladeshi media have come to the Indian government's attention as well. He said it is unfortunate for both countries when one country's territory is being used to defame another. Those creating and promoting false narratives should understand that their actions also undermine their own country's credibility, he added.

Randhir Jaiswal said both those carrying out these activities and those behind them are at fault. Appropriate action should be taken against them, the spokesperson said. He also said such attempts to portray a distorted picture of any country cannot be supported.

For several months, Chinese nationals had been livestreaming in their own language from various parts of Uttara. Local residents could not understand what they were saying. Even when people tried to speak to them, they would often avoid engaging with them.

However, Prothom Alo translated commentary made by several Chinese nationals in their livestreams using Google Translate and had the translations verified by four Bangladeshis who speak Chinese language.

An analysis of these commentary found that although the Chinese nationals were recording videos while staying in Uttara, some claimed during their livestreams that they were broadcasting from New Delhi, the capital of India.

Some also describe Bangladeshis as poor people living in dirty and damp conditions. Others claim that Bangladeshi men misuse money whenever they get their hands on some. Meanwhile, some Chinese women who livestream can be heard saying that they live here with their husbands and families because they got married in India.

On 1 November, a Chinese woman named Mianmian was livestreaming from the banks of the canal in Sector 12 of Uttara, showing views of Tekpara. She introduced herself as a resident of China’s Sichuan province.

During the livestream, she identified the location as New Delhi and described the houses there as extremely dirty. She also mentioned that there was no fan inside the tin-roofed houses. Describing the area as underdeveloped, dirty and unhygienic, she made negative comments about the law and order situation there. She went on to describe how people in India use toilets.

There are tea stalls on both sides of a small bridge in Tekpara. Another Chinese national, named Wang Wei, was filming at these tea stalls. During his livestream, he could be heard saying, “Look, they are drinking tea. Do you know what kind of tea this is? This is cow urine tea. They drink cow urine tea.”

Standing in front of another tea stall, he claimed during his livestream that the tea people were drinking there was made using dirty river water. He also described their lifestyle as extremely unhygienic.

However, not all the videos made by Chinese nationals contained negative comments about Bangladesh. Some were also heard making positive remarks about the country.