Misleading Thai Reports Claim Cambodian Posed as Thai in Taiwan Incident
Over the weekend, Taiwanese news reported that a Thai girl wearing pink shorts caused a commotion in a shopping mall in Taiwan. After the news broke on social media, Thai media and social media users indicated that the woman was not Thai but could be a Cambodian pretending to be Thai. This news sparked a backlash among Cambodian social media users. However, upon verifying the details, it was found that the above information was not accurate.
SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIM
Earlier this week, Thai media and social media users claimed that a woman who smashed handbags at an international brand store in Taipei, Taiwan, was a Cambodian pretending to be Thai.
This information was widely shared on social media and led to extensive debate between the Thai and Cambodian people, resulting in insults directed at Cambodia and her people.
The following is a video of a report from Thai TV3 that was posted on social media on July 1, 2024. It describes an incident in which a girl raided a shoe and bag store, which is a well-known brand in the center of Taipei. Preliminary information suggests that the woman is not Thai but can speak Thai. She was arrested by the Taiwanese police and taken to the hospital to calm down.
The video was posted on Facebook by other Thai social media users earlier this week.
The following video was posted on social media by Thai users on July 1, 2024. The video denies that the woman is not Thai despite her speaking the Thai language.
The Thai TV station refuted her Thai nationality, while Thai social media alleged that the transgender girl who damaged a Taipei mall's property was a Cambodian national posed as Thai.
The following video was posted on social media by a Facebook page called TOURLONG on the afternoon of July 1, 2024. The video was written in Thai and contained the following message: "There is suspicion that a Cambodian is pretending to be Thai and destroying the property of famous brands. Is this an attempt to damage the reputation of Thais in Taiwan? The news reported that the Cambodian girl disguised as a Thai was responsible for damaging the property of well-known brands, which led to demands from Taiwanese people to ban Thais from entering the country.”
The video was widely shared, and Thai-speaking social media users expressed their outrage toward the Cambodian people and the country.
The same video was shared on social media by other Thai users, who questioned the girl's nationality. See the video via Link 1 (archived), Link 2 (archived), and Link 3 (archived).
Following reports from Thai media and Thai social media users, Cambodian social media users responded by accusing Thailand of ignoring the truth.
FACT CHECK
Fact Crescendo Cambodia has initiated an investigation into the above claims by seeking confirmation from relevant stakeholders, Taiwanese media, and other sources. This has led us to uncover the following facts.
We first reviewed the information released by the Taiwanese media regarding the case. Upon checking the Thai news, it was evident that they had cited this information from the Taiwanese website SETN.
We came across a news report in Chinese on the SETN website, dated June 30, 2024. According to the report, a Thai girl created a disturbance at the well-known CHARLES & KEITH store by intentionally knocking goods off the shelves. She stayed at the store until the police intervened and took her to the hospital.
Another SETN report released two days later revealed that the individual who caused chaos at a mall in Taiwan was a 29-year-old Thai transgender man.
The report stated that the transgender man's identity was revealed when a friend showed his passport to Taiwanese police on the day of the incident.
According to the Taiwan Immigration Service, the report confirmed that the Thai man had legally traveled to and was staying in Taiwan.
We have reviewed the sources that the Thai press used as the basis for its coverage and found that the information was solely based on the opinions of Thai social media users. The press did not seek confirmation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand or the Taiwan Foreign Ministry.
Thai media and social media said that the woman who destroyed the goods in a Taiwanese shop was not Thai or a foreigner who spoke Thai and pretended to be Thai.
Fact Crescendo Cambodia also sought confirmation from the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but as of this writing, no response has been received.
Fact Crescendo Cambodia sought the assistance of MyGoPen fact-checking journalists in Taiwan. In response to Fact Crescendo Cambodia's request, the real-time verification agency of MyGoPen reported that Taiwanese Liberty Times Net had stated that Taiwanese police had learned that the individual who broke into the store was a Thai man traveling to visit Taiwan, and not a woman as initially reported.
It was reported in a Taiwanese newspaper that the identity of a gay man was discovered by Taiwanese police after they received his passport from a Taiwanese friend. The incident was also covered by Newsflare on June 30, 2024. Read the full article here.
The video was shared on Microsoft's news website over the weekend and received significant attention from the public. Read the full article here.
CONCLUSION
Fact Crescendo Cambodia confirmed that the reports about Cambodians disguised as Thais attacking and dropping goods at a shop in Taiwan were false. Taiwanese police found the man's passport and identified him as a 29-year-old Thai transgender who had legally entered and stayed in Taiwan.
Title:Misleading Thai Reports Claim Cambodian Posed as Thai in Taiwan Incident
Fact Check By: Jay UdomResult: False
