Dhaka, May 31 (IANS) A group of Chinese nationals was seen filming slums, narrow lanes, and even inside the people’s homes in Techpara of Bangladesh’s Uttara, a report noted.
As per the report, nobody, including local police, seems to know who they are, who they work for, or where the footage is going.
Mohammad Badal, a local resident, said that the Chinese vloggers entered houses and took various videos as well as when a fight broke out. They came back in a group with the police, Bangladesh’s The Business Standard newspaper reported.
They are very drawn to the local slums and houses of lower-income residents, he added.
“I have been seeing them (Chinese vloggers) for around a year now. At one point, there was even tension in the area because of them. Local residents complained that they were entering houses without permission. Tenants of one house complained that they came into the kitchen area and even near the bathing space with their cameras,” said Raju Ahmed, to the Business Standard news, who lived in the area for nearly 15 years.
He also alleged that women’s privacy is frequently compromised.
“If a house’s gate is open, they walk straight in. Many times, they show no respect for women’s privacy whatsoever,” he said.
“That person said he has a lot of money and connections in this country,” Raju claimed.
“He said he can do whatever he wants.”
A long-time resident of Techpara, Monowar Begum, claimed that the Chinese nationals pay local girls around Tk500 to Tk1000 to go around with them and make videos, and they often go live.
“A large number of Chinese vloggers filming in Bangladesh appear to follow a specific formula: video titles almost invariably feature words such as ‘poor’, ‘dirty’, or ‘slum’. The videos mostly focus on the poverty of local residents, typically framing the vlogger as a generous benefactor coming to the aid of those in need,” the report noted.
The Chinese nationals sometimes mentioned that they work for a boss, according to the report.
It also noted that there are Chinese nationals involved in serious crimes, particularly in areas related to cyber fraud, illegal online gambling, trafficking, gold smuggling, counterfeit electronics, and illegal telecommunications operations.
