A video claiming that members of the Arakan Army entered Bangladesh through the Bandarban border while chasing a Myanmar citizen and then confronted the Bangladesh Army after attacking a Bengali family has been widely circulated on Facebook. FactWatch’s investigation found that the video is not from Bangladesh. It was filmed on the Thailand-Cambodia border in July. At that time, tension erupted between the two countries’ military personnel near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple after Cambodian citizens attempted to visit the site.

A reverse image search of the video claiming to show Arakan Army members crossing into Bangladesh led to a YouTube channel named “weaponsupdate6767,” where the same footage was uploaded on July 16. The video caption stated that Thai soldiers prevented Cambodian citizens from visiting the Ta Moan Thom temple located within Cambodian territory.

Further verification through the website “Pattaya People” revealed detailed information about the same video. In a report published on July 15, it was stated that the incident took place near the ruins of the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple in Phanom Dong Rak district of Thailand’s Surin province, adjacent to Cambodia. According to the report, a Cambodian visitor was stopped by Thai soldiers while trying to enter the temple, which led to an argument. Cambodian troops soon arrived at the scene.

The same description of the event was also found in a report published on July 15 by Thailand’s news outlet The Nation.

Based on the available videos and reports, it is confirmed that the video circulated with the claim that Arakan Army members entered Bangladesh through the Bandarban border is not related to Bangladesh. It depicts an argument between Thai and Cambodian soldiers at the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple on the Thailand-Cambodia border. Therefore, FactWatch has identified the video as false.

Original News Source: https://www.fact-watch.org/arakan-army-reportedly-entered-bangladesh-territory-at-the-bandarban-border/