Myanmar is currently facing a wave of international criticism due to a government-led crackdown on the country's Rohingya Muslims.
One of the early stories to emerge from the crisis was how Burmese military forces have been burning down Rohingyas' homes to prevent them from returning.
Burning down the #Rohingya village by #Myanmar military and BGP in Northern Rakhine State. Happening now.
#Rohingya #Muslim village burning in #Maungdaw #Rakhine. No proof to who arsonists are now. But saw locals carryin… https://t.co/IhQpmW5NsM
Last week, images of "Bengalis" — the Myanmar government's preferred term for Rohingyas — apparently burning down their own homes in one of the townships circulated on Facebook and Twitter.
The images received further attention after a government official shared them on his Twitter account.
Photos of Bengalis setting fire to their houses! direct contact with anonymous person who took these photos by EMG… https://t.co/NgTkAxXzEs
However, supporters of the Rohingya community soon began to point out inaccuracies in the photos.
Two Western journalists — AFP's Jerome Taylor and Jonathan Head of the BBC — were also quick to debunk the images, saying they were most likely staged.
The only thing that suggests these people are Muslims are the white prayer hats then men wear, and the headscarves. BUT...
We can't see the faces of the "women", but those headscarves do not look like the kind of scarves usually worn by Rohingya women
2 Hindus who dressed as Muslims in fake house-burning photos were also presented to us as victims to film n Maungdaw https://t.co/CTB235MLol
Head also reported that local monks told the press that Muslims had burnt their own homes prior to photos being released.
Ro Nay San Lwin, a Rohingya blogger who also shared the photos on Twitter, said the images of the supposed Muslim attackers looked remarkably similar to local Hindus displaced by the violence.
G'Morning world class liar, master of fake news @ZawHtayMyanmar, greeting you from Europe with some more evidence f… https://t.co/ydXj9G42PV
Following the speculation about the authenticity of the photos, the Burmese official who shared the photos issued a statement that authorities were investigating what actually happened.
Myanmar Govt investigating the spreading Photos Fake or Real ? It took in #Maungtaw , setting fire to houses. Govt… https://t.co/T4ezWeIiBO
Throughout this period, the Burmese government, including former Nobel Peace Prize laureate and current ruling party leader Aung San Suu Kyi, continued to accuse foreign media of spreading fake news about the Rohingya crisis.
Aung San Suu Kyi and her government have received huge amounts of criticism for her denial of the crisis. Last week a petition was started to strip her of her Nobel Prize that has since gained nearly half a million signatures.
In a phone interview with BuzzFeed News, Nay San, the Rohingya blogger, said previous arson attacks by the Burmese military show a pattern of behavior.
Meanwhile, Rohingya villages continue to be targeted by arsonists in Rakhine, which international rights groups say is part of the government-led campaign to drive Rohingyas out of their homes.
Today the whole village of #PaDin burnt down including the Mosque. This footage is from #KaungDaGa hamlet. At least… https://t.co/HKlejpzjcf