Fact Check: Sam Rainsy Dressed As Corpse Altered
Former president of the Cambodian National Rescue Party, the main opposition party in Cambodia, Sam Rainsy has repeatedly failed to return to Cambodia. This failure of Sam Rainsy's entry into Cambodia has led to mixed verbal criticisms and attacks on social media.
Meanwhile, a photo showing Sam Rainsy dressing as a corpse and running on the road was posted recently on a Facebook group. It was reshared and reacted with many mixed comments 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 9, 2021, one of the Facebook users posted a photo to a Facebook group called “ប្រជុំកំពូលអ្នកនយោបាយ”, which features views of former CNRP leaders. Sam Rainsy, who is currently living in France, was running on the street in a white cloth (dress for the deceased). 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 screenshot captured from the user's post with the caption which translates in English as “Today is the 3rd year anniversary of Mr. Sam Rainsy who ran and left November 09, 2019 - November 09, 2021”.
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.
A photo of the exact same form and shape has been found on a Thai-language news website called Daily News, published on August 27, 2019. The following is a screenshot captured from the above website which translates in English as “New Dimension, Cosplay Runner, Haunted Ghost, Calf Blanket, Holding a Lotus Flower”.
Daily News Report | Archived Link
Similarly, according to the English-language news website called The Smart Local published on the 29th August 2019, it also showed the exact photo and action scene that was taken from participating in the marathon (Mairood Challenge Run 2019) held in Trat, Thailand last August 26, 2019.
The following is an excerpt from a news media website written in English as “Thai Man Cosplays As Corpse During Marathon And Scares The Crap Out Of Fellow Runners”.
Another screenshot excerpted from the website above shows a Thai man running (Left) and when receiving a prize (Right).
The Smart Local Link | Archived Link
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You may find the details of this fact-check in Khmer language here as well as other Sam Rainsy’s stories checked by Fact Crescendo Cambodia:
- Has Sam Rainsy Passed Away As Claimed?
- Sam Rainsy In Vietnam Army Uniform?
- Sam Rainsy Sitting Nearby The Sleeping Dog Altered
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 photo was actually a Thai Marathoner who was running in an event called “Mairood Challenge Run 2019”. He was dressed as a corpse while holding a lotus in his hands. This event was held in Trat, Thailand on August, 26, 2019.
