Recently, a video has circulated online claiming that tourists were urgently evacuated from Sajek under police protection amid fears of an Arakan Army presence in the area.

Fact-check

An investigation by the Rumor Scanner Team reveals that the claim regarding the evacuation of tourists from Sajek due to Arakan Army threats is false. The video used to support this claim was actually recorded during a routine tourist escort aimed at ensuring safety and has been misrepresented in circulation.

The original video was found on the Facebook profile of an individual named Parvej Khan Bappy. Posted as a reel’s video on May 3, it was titled “Tourists returning home from Sajek” with the tag “SAJEKIAN.” There is no mention in the video of any Arakan Army involvement or tourists being evacuated in fear.

Upon observation, the video appears to depict a normal escort as occurs regularly in Sajek. Viewer comments on the post further indicate that the footage reflects a typical day.

A similar video of a tourist escort was also found on another Facebook account named Md Joni Khan, uploaded on December 4, 2024.

To confirm further, Rumor Scanner contacted the original uploader, Parvej Khan Bappy. He explained, “This was filmed on the morning of May 2 by my elder brother. We were heading down from Sajek and he recorded the video while descending on a motorbike. We regularly share Sajek updates on several of our pages and accounts.”

He further stated, “First of all, there is no Arakan force here. Every morning and evening, tourists arrive and leave Sajek. For their safety, they are escorted—police lead from the front, and army personnel stay at the rear.”

He added, “This is not new. It’s been done this way for the past 7 or 8 years. There’s no record of harm to tourists. However, some armed groups in the hills sometimes block roads or engage in clashes among themselves, creating risky situations. That’s why security protocols exist—to ensure tourists can travel safely and without interruption during scheduled escort times. Among the hill regions, Sajek is the safest tourist spot, where security is strictly maintained. Safety concerns are inherent to the hills, and such measures are taken accordingly.”

Furthermore, a search using relevant keywords did not yield any reports from media outlets or reliable sources supporting the claim that tourists were evacuated from Sajek due to Arakan Army threats.

Therefore, the circulated claim that tourists were removed from Sajek due to fears of an Arakan Army presence is false. The video was recorded during a routine escort and has been misused to propagate this misinformation.

Original News Source: https://rumorscanner.com/fact-check/sajek-normal-escort-video-falsely-claimed-as-arakan-army-panic/148824