Sam Rainsy did not pass away, as claimed on social media
As the 7th National Assembly election took place last Sunday, photos of a group of women dressed in black and carrying a coffin with a photo of Sam Rainsy in the sense of an opposition leader is dead. This photo has been shared and commented on by users recently. However, our verification found that this photo was digitally altered.
This is about our investigation of this claim.
Social Media Claim
On July 17, 2023, a Facebook user recently posted a photo showing a group of women carrying a coffin with a photo of Sam Rainsy in front of them, stating that he had passed away. The photos attached to the above post were distributed several times, along with reactions and comments from many Khmer-speaking Facebook users.
The following is a snippet captured from a Facebook user who posted above.
The above photo was also posted by other Facebook users and received many shares along with mixed reactions. The following is a screenshot image from a Facebook user who wrote, “The corpse of a three-generation traitor named Sam Rainsy is accompanied by a coffin by five prostitutes who were hired to be his children's ghosts”.
The following is a snapshot from another Facebook user who wrote, “R.I.P., please do not betray the nation like this again. I'm sorry I did not hit my head and shoes, and he has died”.
Fact Check
Fact Crescendo Cambodia reviewed and verified the above information through Google Reverse Image Search and Sam Rainsy’s message in recent days.
News of the death of this top opposition leader should be officially announced and widely disseminated by the media or through their own party, but as of today, there is no official information published about that.
We found a video posted by TikTok users on July 16, 2023, showing a group of black-clad women carrying a coffin with a photo of Prime Minister Hun Sen in front of it. The caption attached to the video said the video was a demonstration by the Cambodian people living in Australia against Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The coffin march was also posted by a Facebook page showing anti-election protests in Cambodia, held in Melbourne, Australia, on July 16, 2023, without showing the photo of Sam Rainsy.
Below is a video clip of a demonstration of people living in Australia against the election in Cambodia on Sunday, July 23.
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy appeared on “Voice of the National Rescue Forum”, posted on his official Facebook page, last Saturday. Below is the full video clip of a live discussion that Sam Rainsy attended.
Below is a comparison between the edited photo and the original 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 photos posted by the users above were edited. That is the scene of a fake coffin demonstration with a photo of Prime Minister Hun Sen, while Sam Rainsy is still alive as usual.
Title:Sam Rainsy did not pass away, as claimed on social media
Written By: Kakada SimResult: Altered
