Major national elections are approaching in the next two years and political clashes have become a topic of debate among Facebook users and enthusiastic supporters from all social media platforms.
Meanwhile, a photo showing a leader of the League for Democracy Party, Khem Veasna, appearing on a banner with its slogan was posted recently on Facebook. It was re-shared and it may be believed to be real by some Cambodian Facebook users. However, after running a Google Reverse Image search, it proves that the photo above was actually altered.
This is about our investigation of this claim.
Social Media Claim
On November 08, 2021, one of the Facebook users recently posted a photo which shows a banner with a photo of Khem Veasna, leader of LDP, with a slogan “Modern metal nails do not know how to cheat the hippies.” Khem Veasna is a Cambodian politician who was a member of the Sam Rainsy Party and was elected to represent Prey Veng province in the National Assembly of Cambodia in 2003. Khem Veasna is currently the leader of the League for Democracy Party. The photo above may be believed by some Facebook users to be a real photo with many Facebook users sharing and reacting.
Below is a snapshot captured from the user’s post with the caption which translates in English as “New slogan”.
Fact Check
Fact Crescendo Cambodia had started to check and verify this photo directly by running a Google Reverse Image search, which brought us to the sources containing the following photos.
Photos of the exact same form and shape were found and published on a local news website in Khmer language on June 6, 2018. Below are the screenshots captured from a local news website featuring an environmental slogan banner without showing the portrait photo of Khem Veasna as posted above.
Country Side News Report | Archived Link
Similarly, according to the official website of the Ministry of Environment, published on June 6, 2018, it also showed photos with the same form. This website also added that on June 05, 2018, the Department of Environment of Phnom Penh visited and disseminated environmental management work in Factories, Markets, Business Locations to celebrate National Environment Day and World Environment Day, June 05 in collaboration with enterprises, factories and business locations, to put up banners with environmental slogans.
Below is an additional image from the Ministry of Environment website showing photos of the banner which means in English as “Good hygiene, clean environment brings health, clean environment starts from all of us”.
Ministry of Environment | Archived Link
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You may find the details of this fact-check in Khmer language here as well.
Conclusion
Fact Crescendo Cambodia has found that the photos posted by the above users are altered. This photo was edited before being posted on social media.This original photo is actually an environmental slogan banner that officials of the department of environment of Phnom Penh have cooperated with enterprises and factories to educate and disseminate environmental management work by putting a banner saying “Good hygiene, clean environment brings health. A clean environment starts with all of us”.
