Fact Check: Sam Rainsy sitting nearby the sleeping dog altered
Sam Rainsy, a former president of the CNRP, won 55 of the National Assembly seats out of 123 in the 2013 National Election and currently has been living in exile since 2015. He has often been criticized and retaliated against by government leaders and CPP supporters.
Meanwhile, a photo showing the scene of former CNRP President, Sam Rainsy, sitting with the sleeping dog and a man lying on the ground was posted and shared by many Facebook users.
This is about our investigation over this photo.
Social Media Claim
On September 17, 2021, one of the Cambodian Facebook users posted a photo showing a former CNRP leader known as Sam Rainsy sitting next to a dog and a man sleeping on the ground. The photo has been mixed and shared several times by Facebook users of Khmer language.
A screenshot captured from the poster which translates in English as “From now on, and do something that is an act of treason, you must consider your own value, whether it is now cheaper than a dog or worth it. Similar to a dog, you can see it barking again and again, doing this and that. But in the end, the group of all your treasonous movement, the law, must be dealt without exception”.
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 original photos.
According to the local news website called “Khmer Load” published on September 15, 2015 under title which translates in English as “Wow! The dog is sleeping on the bag and the drunk owner is lying on the ground” has shown an exact photo of a dog and a man sleeping on the ground. This photo has been brought by Hang Meas TV Channel as well on the same day.
Below is the screenshot captured from the news media website which does not show a former leader of CNRP, Sam Rainsy, at all.
Khmer Load News Report | Archived Link
Where is Sam Rainsy now?
A former CNRP President, Sam Rainsy, is currently in the United States as he has left France for the United States to meet the US officials and his supporters since last August. Sam Rainsy also recently posted a couple of photos with US officials, along with a caption. "Sam Rainsy's activities in Washington, DC, September 28, 2021."
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Conclusion
Fact Crescendo Cambodia has found out that the above photo was actually altered before posting on social media. This original photo was factually a drunk man sleeping on the ground while the dog was resting on the chair. This does not show Sam Rainsy sitting with them at all.
