Photo Depicting Young Khem Veasna Altered
As Khem Veasna, leader of LDP, called on his supporters to gather on his farm in the Kulen Mountains to escape the natural disaster, a photo depicting kids was posted by a Facebook page. This photo shows and attaches a claim pointing to one of them as Khem Veasna when he was young. It has been shared and reacted with mixed comments. However, after checking the Google Reverse Image search, it proves that the above photo was digitally altered.
This is about our investigation of this photo.
Social Media Claim
On August 30, 2022, a Facebook page called ROEUN MARIN posted a photo showing children, one of whom was sitting in the middle, who was identified as “Khem Veasna”. Khem Veasna is a Cambodian politician who used to be a member of the Sam Rainsy Party in Prey Veng province in the National Assembly of Cambodia in 2003. Khem Veasna is currently the leader of the opposition party called LDP.
The photo posted above has been shared many times by social media users who are speaking Khmer, along with various expressions and reactions as well.
Below is a screenshot picture captured from the Facebook page above, describing in Khmer or translated in English as “These two children are very strong. One is strong with weapons, the other one is strong by rotating the earth”.
Fact Check
Fact Crescendo Cambodia began to investigate the stated claim using Google Reverse Image Search, which let us discover the reality as follows.
Photos of the same format and shape were found on the iNEWS website published on December 14, 2021. The same website above confirmed in English that “This is a group photo shoot of a kindergarten kid in St. Petersburg”. It does not depict Khem Veasna when he was young at all.
Fact Crescendo Cambodia also found the original photo posted by Ebook Cambodia Facebook page on March 15, 2022. This photo does not show a child sitting in the middle was Khem Veasna as posted.
Below is a screenshot captured from the above Facebook page showing Putin as a child.
The following image is the comparison between the original photo and edited photo found on social media.
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You may find the details of this fact-check in Khmer language here as well.
Conclusion
Fact Crescendo Cambodia found that the photo posted above is digitally altered. This photo actually shows a young Putin which was taken at one of the kindergarten schools in St. Petersburg. It does not depict Khem Veasna when he was young at all.
