As the history of Cambodia and Vietnam has always been a hot topic of discussion and sharing on social media platforms, a photo showing sculptures of women were posted on social media with saying it was the act of torture by Vietnamese to Khmer women. The post was widely shared and commented on. However, Fact Crescendo Cambodia found that the claim attached with above is false.

This is about our investigation of this claim.

Social Media Claim

On April 20, 2023, a photo of women sculptures was posted on social media with a claim describing it as Khmer women during the Khmer Rouge regime who had been tortured by Vietnamese. Such claims have been shared many times by social media users, along with mixed expressions and reactions.

The following is a snapshot captured from the Facebook user’s post above translated in English as “Khmer women during the Khmer Rouge regime were tortured by the Vietnamese”.

Facebook Post | Archived Link


Fact Check

Fact Crescendo Cambodia began to monitor this image and claim through Google Reverse Image Search, which led us to find out the following facts.

Through the Reddit website, an exact photo of the same format and shape has been found and confirmed in English that the view of this sculpture is an art created by Ghanaian artist named Kwame Akoto-Bamfo in 2010. The following is a screenshot image captured from the website above that does not confirm that this is a scene of Khmer women tortured by Vietnamese.

Reddit Link | Archived Link

A view of slave sculptures created by Kwame Akoto-Bamfo was also found on the GhanaWeb website which was published on December 3, 2021, displaying at Nkyinkyim Museum in Ada Foah, Southeastern of Ghana. The creation of these sculptures is not associated or related to Khmer women during the Khmer Rouge regime tortured by Vietnamese at all.

GhanaWeb Link | Archived Link

Where is Nkyinkyim Museum? The Nkyinkyim Museum is located in Nuhalenya, Ada Foah, Southeastern of Ghana.

Google Map Link | Archived Link

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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 with the above claim was false. This photo is of a slave in the water in Ghana, made by artist Kwame Akoto-Bamfo. As a matter of fact, this photo is not of Cambodian women tortured by the Vietnamese.

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Title:Sculptures in Ghana falsely claimed as Khmer women tortured by Vietnamese

Fact Check By: Kakada Sim

Result: False