Fact-Check: An image of Khmer Rouge Leader Pol Pot Looks Young after Editing
Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died more than 20 years ago, but his photos are often published and shared on social media without having reliable information. One of them is that a Facebook user posted a photo showing Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot with young face. The photo had been shared many times by Khmer-speaking social media users along with a mixture of comments and reactions. After running Google Reverse Image, however, it is found the photo is altered.
Social Media Claim
On August 10 last year, a Facebook user posted a photo showing Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot looks young. The photo had been shared more than 200 times by Khmer-speaking Facebook users along with a mixture of comments and reactions.
Below is a capture of the post with caption reads: “When Vietnam invaded Cambodia, Hun Sen killed many more people. When Cambodia lost its land, forest, and everything like these days, then we feel regretful to have loss Pol Pot. If he was still alive, neighboring countries would never dare to sneeze, and Cambodians would not be like this.”
The photo was also shared to a Facebook group named RFA Khmer វិទ្យុអាស៊ីសេរី which has hundred thousand Facebook accounts as members, leading to more shares.
Fact Check
Fact Crescendo Cambodia begins checking the photo by running Google Reverse Image, leading to see the same photo and its original caption.
The photo can be found on a website named famousbio – a website recording biography of the world’s famous leaders and notorious political figures. Yet the website does not contain photo caption.
The photo published on the website shows Khmer Rouge leader was at the middle age – he does not look young as the photo published on social media. The photo can be seen through a link here or archived link below.
Below is a comparison between two images – the image on the left was published on social media and the right one was published on the website of Famous Biography.
The photo was also published by Daily Mail in its article. The media provided caption saying the photo was taken in 1979. The photo is belonged to AP – the American news agency.
Below is a capture of Daily Mail’s article headline “Khmer Rouge jailer who oversaw the torture and killing of 16,000 Cambodians dies aged 77.”
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Conclusion
Fact Crescendo Cambodia found out the photo mentioned above is altered. The photo was edited before being published on social media. The original photo shows Khmer Rouge leader was at middle age when photo was taken in 1979.
Title:An image of Khmer Rouge Leader Pol Pot Looks Young after Editing
Fact Check By: Jay UdomResult: Altered
