A Banknote Printed with PM Hun Sen’s Image Digitally Edited

As Cambodia marked the 30 anniversary of the Paris Peace Accord – an agreement to end armed conflict in the country, a banknote was printed to celebrate the 30 years of the Paris Peace Accord last year. Then, a photo showing the banknote printed with images of Prime Minister Hun Sen and the armed forces was uploaded and widely shared on social media. However, Fact Crescendo Cambodia found out the photo was digitally edited.

Social Media Claim

A photo of a banknote printed with an old image of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and a picture of armed forces was uploaded on social media last year. The post got viral shares, comments, and reactions from Khmer-speaking social media users.

The post was reshared on October 23, a year after it was initially circulated on social media. Then, it got more reactions, comments, and shares.

Below is the capture of the post from more than a year ago before it reappeared on Facebook last week.

Facebook Post | Archived Link

Fact Check

Fact Crescendo Cambodia began checking its fact by running a Google Reverse Image Search, leading us to find out the truth below.

The photo of the banknote was published in a report of the Khmer Times media last year – just a week before the 30^th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accord.

According to the media's report, this is a 30,000-banknote released by the National Bank of Cambodia to mark the 30th anniversary of an agreement that sees the end of the country’s armed conflict.

The banknote comes with an image of the late King Norodom Sihanouk on the front and an image of the late King accompanied by PM Hun Sen on the day the King returned from exile 30 years ago.

Khmer Times | Archived Link

Thus, the original banknote has no image of PM Hun Sen and the armed forces cracking down on a protest. Please see the comparison below.

Conclusion : Fact Crescendo Cambodia found out the photo mentioned earlier was altered. The original image shows the banknote has an image of the late King Norodom Sihanouk on the front side and an image of the late King with PM Hun Sen on the rear side. The banknote was released last year to mark the 30^th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accord.