A Royal Residence in Siem Reap Never Moved Out Following Fire
A few days after a royal residence in Siem Reap was destroyed by a fire, a claim going viral on social media said the incident was intentionally set up in order to sell off the plot of land. The claim had been shared many times along with comments and reactions to. However, by reviewing reports, we found the claim is false.
Social Media Claim
A claim circulated on Facebook said former King Norodom Sihanouk’s royal residence in Siem Reap was purposely set on fire on the night of March 12 in order to sell off the plot of land located in the central part of the provincial city.
The claim had been shared nearly 100 times along with a mixture of comments and reactions after it was circulated on Facebook.
Below is the capture of the social media claim saying “Set a fire on a royal residence, then sell off the plot of land for money. This is not hard to be understood. This trick cannot be invisible.”
The same claim was also circulated on social media by another Facebook user. See the full caption of the claim here and here or archived link here.
Fact Check
Fact Crescendo Cambodia began clarifying the claim above by reviewing reports related to the development of the royal residence after it was partly destroyed by a fire broke out on March 12. Then, we found out facts below.
Cambodia’s Royal Palace clarified the former King Norodom Sihanouk’s residence in Siem Reap province was on fire due to a short circuit, according to TVK’s report quoted from the Royal Palace’s press release a day after the fire broke out. Read the full report here and the archived link here.
The state TV added the Minister of the Royal Palace Kong Sam Ol led a team to undergo the reconstruction of the royal residence on March 13, just one day after the fire broke out.
Four days later, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen gave a directive to complete the reconstruction as soon as possible, saying no matter how big expense it was for this work.
PM Hun Sen also appealed to public to stop misunderstand over the fire broke out at the royal residence and explain beyond the facts. Read the full article here.
Conclusion
Fact Crescendo Cambodia found the claim described above is false. The former King Norodom Sihanouk’s residence in Siem Reap will never moved out after a fire broke out on March 12. The Royal Palace and the government clarified the royal residence reconstruction began just one day after the fire.
Title:A Royal Residence in Siem Reap Never Moved Out Following Fire
Fact Check By: Jay UdomResult: False
