Old Video From India Being Used To Claim Rohingya In M'sia Are Selling Poisoned Veggies
Forwarded messages are being circulated on WhatsApp, alleging that Rohingya refugees are using cancer-causing chemicals to make leafy vegetables look fresh in minutes and then sell them by the roadside at the Selayang market.
By Sadho Ram — 24 Mar 2023, 03:43 PM
Rohingya refugees in Malaysia are a frequent target of hate speech.
Recently, forwarded WhatsApp messages of an unrelated video are being used as a disinformation campaign to target this marginalised community.
Disinformation is the intentional creation of false information in order to influence public opinion.
This SAYS writer has received a tip about one such disinformation campaign circulating on WhatsApp, alleging that Rohingya refugees are using "cancer-causing chemicals" to artificially turn stale-looking leafy green vegetables fresh in minutes and then "sell them by the roadside at the Selayang market".
The WhatsApp messages are in the form of a block of text targeting the Rohingya, and a video showing a man demonstrating to others how using a chemical solution can bring wilted greens back to life.
First things first, the video is at least two years old
A trace by SAYS has revealed that the video was first uploaded on YouTube on 23 July 2021, by a Telugu channel under the name of Mana Family Trends. 'Mana' is Telugu for 'our'.
The original video is slightly over four minutes in length.
At the time, prominent Indian news sites ran reports based on the video with no additional details.
A few years prior to the video, Indian authorities had conducted a crackdown on artificially ripened fruits and vegetables in Hyderabad in August 2015, where it was found that the greens were laced with copper sulphate and chemical dye which could result in fatalities if consumed on a regular basis.
The method described by one of the food safety officers is similar to the one shown in the video.
The same video resurfaced last week after a person living in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, uploaded a shorter version of it on his LinkedIn
The shorter version of the video is a minute and 45 seconds long.
On the person's LinkedIn post, the video has received close to 3,000 likes and over 350 comments.
Following which, a Twitter Blue subscriber from Mumbai, India reuploaded the same video on the platform last Friday, 17 March
The video, at the time of writing, has a million views, with over 5,000 likes.
The Twitter re-upload has, once again, prompted Indian news sites to run reports on this issue. None of the reports, however, mention anything new or bothered to trace the video's original timeline.
Additionally, both the uploaders on LinkedIn and Twitter did not mention anything about Malaysia or the Rohingya. A check of their replies showed that they were discussing Indian vegetable sellers.
The same video has now found its way into Malaysian social media and messaging apps, where it's being used to target the Rohingya
The video circulating in Malaysian WhatsApp groups is the same one that resurfaced on LinkedIn, as it doesn't show the licence plates of the two-wheelers parked by the side that is visible in the original video.
A check by SAYS has found that the type of two-wheelers seen in the original video is not common in Malaysia, with the make and the numbering of the licence plate that is standard to India.
The disinformation campaign comes amidst Klang member of parliament (MP) V Ganabatirau's claims that the presence of the Rohingya traders has prevented local people from doing business
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) lawmaker urged the Ministry of Home Affairs earlier this month to take action against Rohingya traders operating stalls at the Pasar Besar Meru in Klang, reported Free Malaysia Today.
"They are not only working but becoming towkays (bosses). If we wait (any longer before taking action), Meru will become Selayang 2," he said, referring to the wholesale market in Selangor.
"How long are we supposed to tolerate this?" Ganabatirau asked.
He later defended his remarks, saying that he doesn't hate the Rohingya refugees and that he was "merely voicing out the problems faced by local traders", according to the report in Free Malaysia Today.
