1/3/22, 11:44 AM Inside the origins of a conspiracy theory about Myanmar and China Starting on February 17, people in Myanmar reported they were receiving automated messages from telecommunicators operators in Chinese, rather than Burmese, language. On the surface, the Chinese-language messages are gibberish, and the string of characters appears to be identical across many different screenshots and videos shared by internet users. In reference to the strange characters, social media users made comments such as “China is definitely involved in Myanmar military coup” and “This may be because of the great firewall of china.” Around the same time the Chinese characters were appearing on mobile devices, smart TVs across Myanmar started displaying (https://archive.vn/ltf3l) Chinese characters on their menus (https://archive.vn/jETDd) and on apps such as YouTube (https://archive.vn/Fy8pD). This, too, prompted people to claim foreign interference. “This is obvious that China is helping Myanmar military to strictly control/monitor telecommunication,” one Twitter user said. The issue attracted international media attention. BBC’s Freya Cole tweeted (https://archive.vn/Dq6a2) on February 16, “There is huge concern about CCP involvement in Myanmar. But it’s difficult to verify. I need telecom workers & airport staff to securely speak to me. I also need way more evidence. If you notice Chinese language on your phone or TVs pls screenshot. Inbox me.” https://firstdraftnews.org/articles/inside-the-origins-of-a-conspiracy-theory-about-myanmar-and-china/ 3/8