2 18 May to 31 May, 2024
the Buthidaung Incident
Telegram message analysis: A total of 563 messages were collected from monitored Telegram
channels. As on Facebook pages, content related
to Islamophobia was very common on Telegram
channels in response to the Buthidaung incident
(13 messages). Two messages were calls for humanitarian assistance and one was the content
promoting peaceful coexistence. 12 posts were
the contents related to the calls for accountability
regarding the incident.
Fig.3. Types of content from Telegram channels
Fig.4. Contents of Telegram messages
METHODOLOGY
Research period:
18 May to 31 May 2024 (Two weeks):
To understand how key stakeholders had shaped public opinion regarding the capture of Buthidaung township and subsequent incidents, the messages related to the following key areas or
contents were observed. (1) Accountability, (2) Islamophobia, (3) Humanitarian aspect, (4) Perception of the responses of civil society organizations, international communities, and media.
Identifying Facebook pages and Telegram channels:
By using 101 keywords and 99 hashtags related
to the ongoing political crisis or politics, we
were able to include 1,868 Facebook pages and
770 Telegram channels that were considered
politically active. Based on political stance and
affiliation, Facebook pages and Telegram channels were categorized into different collections.
Selecting Facebook posts and Telegram messages:
By using Crowd Tangle API and Telegram API,
we integrated FB posts and Telegram messages
into the BSI’s customized software namely
“Chay-Lann” real-time. Then, based on the
composite rating score, the top 50 posts or
messages with the highest rating score from
each collection were included weekly, and then,
a total of 1,239 posts from Facebook pages and
563 messages from Telegram channels were
analyzed against the contents we are concerned with.