Fact-Check: Cambodia’s PM Hun Sen Still Healthy as Normal
Due to the spread of Covid-19 infection in Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen – the President of ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) – had not been seen in public for several weeks, leading to rumors related to his health. One of such rumors on social media claimed that the premier was in critical health condition and had been hospitalized for immediate surgery at the country’s central hospital, Calmette. The claim also posted a photo showing PM Hun Sen lying in a hospital bed. The claim had been shared by multiple Khmer-speaking social media users, and some of them expressed mixed comments. However, our analysis proved that PM was in good health and it was yet another hoax related to the premier.
Social Media Claim
Early September in 2021, a Facebook page named News Assembly posted a photo of Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen covered in white cloth lying on which seemed like a hospital bed. The Facebook page claimed that the premier Hun Sen’s health condition was critical and had been admitted to Cambodia’s central hospital Calmette for emergency treatment.
The claim had been shared many times by Khmer-speaking Facebook users along with many mixed comments and reactions.
Below is a capture of the post made by the Facebook user claiming: “On Sunday 05 September 2021, be ready… receiving news saying Hun Sen is in critical and ready for emergency surgery at Calmette Hospital as medical experts in Singapore stopped providing medical treatment for him.”
The same claim was also posted by another Facebook page named News Fast on the same day just one minute after the Facebook page News Assembly published the claim. The full claim can be read via a link here or archived link seen here.
Another Facebook page named SNP News published the same claim too in the afternoon that day, leading to many shares by its followers. The claim published on SNP News’s page can be fully read through a link here or the archived link here.
A Facebook page សុខឿន ប៉ាង (Sokhoeun Pang) also published the claim which had been shared by more than 100 Facebook users. The full claim can be read through a link here or the archived link here.
Fact Check
Fact Crescendo Cambodia began verification of this claim by running a Google Reverse Image and reviewing any official statements or press releases related to the claim.
We found the original photo showing PM Hun Sen draped in white cloth lying on a bed, and there are two women in medical dresses are next to him. The original image was one of photos which were published on a local news named Khmer Breaking on March in 2018. The image can be see via a link attached to the photo below.
Khmer Breaking | Archived Link
By comparing both photos, we see parts of the original photo was cropped, showing no nurses stood next to PM Hun Sen. Please see the photo comparison attached below.
But Breaking News did not provide more detailed information about the photos as its report was about PM Hun Sen’s health condition at the time.
However, PM Hun Sen’s health condition was reported by accredited local media. One of them is thmeythmey.com – one of Cambodia’s online media – published three photos of PM Hun Sen in its article on August 30, 2016. The photos are part of eleven photos which were published on that day by official Facebook page of the country’s premier.
Images shows PM Hun Sen in a hospital based in Singapore five years ago for his scheduled health checkup, according to the article published by thmeythmey.com at the time. The full article can be read through the link or the archived link attached below.
The health checkup of PM Hun Sen in a hospital based in Singapore was also reported by another local media nokorthom.com on March 31 in 2016. The report can be fully read through the link here or the archived link here.
PM Hun Sen’s Health Condition
The social media claim said PM Hun Sen was in ‘critical’ and ready for ‘emergency surgery’ at Cambodia’s central hospital Calmette.
Four days after the social media claim, however, PM Hun Sen, 69, showed up in the 7th Greater Mekong Subregion summit which was virtually hosted by the Kingdom on September 9.
As the rotating chair country of the summit, PM Hun Sen spoke to other five leaders from the countries in the sub region. The summit was aired lived by Cambodia’s state-owned channel National Television of Cambodia (TVK) and relayed by the official Facebook page of the premier as well. The video can be fully watched through the link here or the archived link attached here.
Samdech Hun Sen, Cambodian Prime Minister| Archived Link
Claims and rumors related to PM Hun Sen’s health condition have been circulating on social media platforms in the past as well, and Fact Crescendo Cambodia has done several fact-checks.
A claim published on social media in June said PM Hun Sen had already died, but Fact Crescendo Cambodia found the claim was false. Read our fact check here. Another hoax related to PM Hun Sen had been debunked by Factcrescendo Cambodian team as seen here.
Another claim posted on social media in March said PM Hun Sen was infected with coronavirus, but we found the claim was false too as clarified here.
Conclusion
Fact Crescendo Cambodia found the claim mentioned above is false. Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen was not hospitalized for any surgery in early September. The Cambodia’s premier showed up in a virtual summit of the Greater Mekong Subregion hosted on September 9. The image used alongside the false claim was an incident over five years ago while PM was admitted for a regular medical checkup.
