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  • 2021-11-26 (xsd:date)
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  • These photos circulated in reports about arms and ammunition seized in 2019 in northern Myanmar (en)
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  • Facebook posts in Myanmar purport to show photos of weapons seized from squatters in November 2021 in the commercial capital Yangon. The claim is false; the pictures circulated in reports in 2019 about guns and ammunition taken from an ethnic armed group in northern Shan State by the Myanmar military. Seized ammunition from squatters who had been paid to hide the weapons since 2018, reads a Burmese-language Facebook post from November 14. During a squatter clearance operation near Aung Zay Ya Bridge in Hlaing Tharyar, Shwe Pyi Thar and Thanlyin townships in Yangon, weapons and ammunition were seized. The squatters were paid to pack up the weapons and bury them in the ground. A screenshot of the misleading post, taken on November 16, 2021 The photos were shared in similar Facebook posts here and here . The pictures circulated after illegal squatters were forcibly removed from makeshift huts in parts of Yangon in October, local media reported here and here . Burmese-language reports said the squatter clearance was ordered by the military, which seized power in a coup in February. However, the claim that the images show weapons found at the squatter sites is false. A reverse image search and keyword search on Google found the scene in the first photo, which shows rows of guns and various camera operators filming the find, in a video report published by Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) on Facebook on November 24, 2019. The scene in the photo is visible from the 02:02 timestamp. The Burmese-language Facebook post reads: A large amount of TNLA's anti-aircraft missiles and ammunition was confiscated by Tatmadaw troops patrolling the area near Homin village in Namsan Township. #DVBTV #PTT #TNLA # FN6 The TNLA is an acronym for Ta'ang National Liberation Army which is made up of Ta'ang (Palaung) ethnic people. Tatmadaw is a common name for the Myanmar army. Homin village is located in Namhsan township in Shan State, more than 1,000 km northeast of Yangon. Below is a screenshot comparison of the first photo in the misleading Facebook posts (left) and a screenshot of DVB's video report (right) with similarities highlighted in red by AFP. A screenshot comparison of the first photo in the misleading Facebook posts (L) and a screenshot of DVB's video report (R) with the corresponding cameramen circled in red Another keyword search found the second picture corresponds to an image in a statement published by the Myanmar military about the ammunition seizure on November 24, 2019. The photo in the military's statement shows a white bag with a dragon logo next to rows of guns and magazines, which are also visible in the second image in the misleading post. Below is a screenshot comparison between the second photo in the misleading Facebook posts (L) and the photo from the military's statement (R). A screenshot comparison between the second photo in the misleading Facebook posts (L) and the photo from the military's statement (R) (en)
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