Old clip of casino fire falsely shared as 'arson targeting Thai workers in Cambodian scam centre'

Published on August 14, 2025 at 11:06
3 min read
By Chayanit ITTHIPONGMAETEE, AFP Thailand

The recent border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia has seen a major surge in misinformation from both sides, including a clip of a burning building misrepresented online as a scam centre set ablaze by Cambodians to "trap Thai workers." The clip was filmed in 2022 and depicts a deadly casino fire in Cambodia.

"Cambodians set fire to a scam centre building with many Thais trapped inside. Thai people are urged to evacuate as the fire could spread to other buildings in Poipet," says Thai-language text overlay on a TikTok video shared on July 29, 2025.

The clip -- viewed over a million times -- shows a building engulfed in flames.

Screenshot of the false TikTok post, taken on August 13, 2025, with a red X added by AFP

The same clip has also been shared alongside similar claims on TikTok, Instagram and X.

These posts surfaced after Thailand and Cambodia exchanged deadly fire in late July, which left at least 43 people dead and over 300,000 displaced. The fighting stopped after a ceasefire was reached on July 29 (archived link).

Despite the truce, disinformation has continued to spread online, including misleading visuals and emotionally charged claims aimed at fueling tensions, fear and hatred between the two Southeast Asian countries (archived here and here).

Amnesty International report in June said that abuses in Cambodia's scam centres are happening on a "mass scale", accusing the Cambodian government of being "acquiescent" and "complicit" in the exploitation of thousands of workers (archived link).

In March, Cambodia deported 119 Thais -- among 230 foreign nationals detained during raids on alleged cyber scam centres in Poipet city (archived link).

But the clip predates the recent conflict and does not show a razed internet sweatshop.

Casino fire

A reverse image search using the video's keyframes on Google found an identical TikTok video published on December 29, 2022 (archived link).

The Thai-language caption reads "The moment people crawled out to escape #PoipetFire."

Screenshot comparison between the false TikTok post (L) and the TikTok clip posted on December 29, 2022

AFP reported that the fire broke out at the Grand Diamond City casino and hotel complex in Poipet, a Cambodian bordertown adjacent to Thailand, on the night of December 28, 2022 (archived here and here).

The blaze killed at least 26 people – including 17 Thais, one Malaysian and one Nepalese. Rescuers found victims trapped in stairwells and rooms (archived link).

Cambodian authorities later confirmed that an electrical fault caused the fire.

AFP documented the aftermath in footage from the scene.

Google Street View imagery from February 2023 confirmed that elements in the video match the Grand Diamond City building and its surrounding area (archived link).

Screenshot of the falsely shared video (L) and the Google Street View imagery, with similar elements highlighted by AFP

AFP has previously debunked other misinformation related to the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand.

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