(TibetanReview.net, Nov10’26) – The setting is one of the poorest and dirtiest neighbourhoods in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, but the audience in China is told it is Delhi by an estimated total of over 150 Chinese nationals livestreaming from there, reported the timesofindia.com Nov 10, citing an investigation by the Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo.
Equipped with two smartphones each – one used to stream live and the other with scripts – they are found to broadcast from early morning until late at night. The streamers are stated to focus on Sector 12 and Tekpara, which are dense, low-income settlements along a canal in Uttara town, located north of Dhaka, where they film along the tin-roofed houses.
Local guides, hired for Tk 700 to Tk 800 (Rs 525-Rs 600) a day, are stated to assist the Chinese live streamer in navigating the area.
Tellingly, most of these digital creators have refused to speak to Prothom Alo, while some have only given their names and nationality.
But one Chinese nationals, named Fangyou, has, after being persuaded by a guide, said such streams are broadcast on China-based platforms such as WeChat and Douyin (the mainland version of TikTok) as “part of product promotion activities”.
Google translations of their commentary, verified by four Bangladeshis who know Chinese, are stated to have revealed the misrepresentations. In one instance, a Chinese woman, identifying herself as Mianmian, has shown the tin huts and said, “This is Delhi. Their homes are extremely dirty… and the law-and-order situation is poor.”
At a bridge flanked by tea stalls, another creator named Wang Wei could be heard telling his audience that locals were drinking “cow urine tea” prepared with contaminated river water. Some streamers have claimed these were Chinese women married to Indian men living in these neighbourhoods, while promoting Chinese air conditioner brands seen on building walls.
The continuous broadcasts are stated to have sparked anger among residents over violations of privacy. Locals, who talked to Prothom Alo, have said that streamers routinely enter homes unannounced, sometimes even filming into bathrooms. When residents protest, the streamers are stated to apologise and leave, only to return soon after.
Despite months of complaints from residents, the police have not monitored or regulated this activity. Mohammad Khalid Mansur, officer-in-charge of Uttara West Police Station, has told Prothom Alo that officers were aware of the filming but attempts to pursue the matter have been hindered due to language barriers.