Cambodia’s ancient temple, Koh Ker, was one of the items on the agenda of the World Heritage Committee’s meeting in Saudi Arabia yesterday. Meanwhile, a claim went viral on Sunday morning and said that Cambodia’s nomination was listed in the list that morning. However, clarifications from two government spokespersons proved the claim was false.
SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIM
A viral claim on social media last Sunday morning said Koh Ker – Cambodia’s ancient temple located in Preah Vihear province – was officially listed in UNESCO’s world heritage list that morning.
After the claim was widely circulated on social media on Sunday morning, many Khmer-speaking social media users expressed applause and congratulations and shared this news with their friends and families.
Below is the capture of the viral claim posted on Sunday morning saying, “Congratulations! Cambodia’s ancient temple Koh Ker was listed in the world heritage list on 17 September 2023.”
Below is the capture of the same claim posted on social media by another Facebook page on Sunday morning, adding the location of the ancient sanctuary. The post got a lot of shares, reactions, and comments from Facebook users.
A Facebook page named មន្ទីរទេសចរណ៍រាជធានីភ្នំពេញ – Phnom Penh Tourism Department also posted the same claim on its social media channel, leading to multiple shares and reactions from Facebook users.
Also, a local media outlet’s Facebook page circulated the news around 10 AM last Sunday. Then, it was shared multiple times.
The same news had been circulated by other social media users. Please see them here CHHAT GROUP (archived), ChanNeang Sam (archived), ដើម្បីប្រទេសកម្ពុជា – For Cambodia (archived), Sophen Nou (archived), T T Brand (archived).
FACT CHECK
Fact Crescendo Cambodia began debunking the claim by seeking clarification and explanation from Cambodian government officials in the Ministry of Culture and Fine Art. Then, we found the facts below.
Sum Mab, a Ministry of Culture and Fine Art spokesperson dismissed the news and claim, saying it was not true.
Responding to Fact Crescendo via Telegram chat, the spokesperson added that the news was circulated on social media by an official at the Ministry of Tourism.
He said the post had already been taken down after a request from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Art.
Kung Puthikar, another spokesperson of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Art – also confirmed this, saying Cambodia’s Koh Ker temple nomination – one of the items on the agenda – had not been officially approved.
Puthikar clarified as he claimed he was in the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Below is a clarification from Kong Puthikar in an interview with Fact Crescendo last Sunday afternoon.
Below is a clarification from Kong Puthikar in an interview with Fact Crescendo on last Sunday afternoon.
About one hour later, Puthikar also clarified that Koh Ker temple nomination was officially approved.
Around 5 pm, Cambodia’s government confirmed the official approval in its press release. The official press release can be found below.
Koh Ker is one of Cambodia’s ancient cities, part of the Khmer Empire in the Angkorian period. The Hinduism complex was built in the 10th century, and its name is Lingapura – a city of Lingasms.
The archaeological site is about 70 kilometers from Cambodia’s well-known Angkor Wat. It is located in Preah Vihear province.
CONCLUSION
Fact Crescendo Cambodia found the news or claim mentioned above is false. Two Cambodian government spokespersons clarified that the Koh Ker temple nomination was not officially listed until about 5 PM last Sunday. Then, the government officially announced this news.
Title: Koh Ker Temple Officially Listed in the World Heritage Around 5 PM
Written By: Jay UdomResult: False
