Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (L) greets supporters during a ceremony marking the 68th founding anniversary of Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) in Phnom Penh on June 28, 2019. ( AFP / TANG CHHIN Sothy)

False posts claiming Cambodian PM expressed solidarity with Myanmar misuse photo of Vietnamese leader

This article is more than one year old.
Published on June 29, 2021 at 11:05
Updated on June 29, 2021 at 11:22
3 min read
By AFP Thailand

A photo has been shared hundreds of times in Facebook posts that claim it shows Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen purportedly raising a three-finger salute in solidarity with the people of Myanmar after the military seized power in a February 2021 coup. However, the claim is false. The photo in fact shows Vietnamese official Nguyen Phu Trong -- not Cambodian PM Hun Sen -- speaking at a press conference in which he did not mention Myanmar.

The photo was published on Facebook here on June 27, 2021. It has been shared more than 700 times.

Screenshot of the false post, taken on June 28, 2021

The photo's Burmese-language caption reads: “Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen stands with the people of Myanmar.”

Myanmar has been in turmoil since a coup in February 2021 ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's government, with hundreds killed in a junta crackdown on dissent, AFP reported.

The three-finger salute has been a symbol used by protesters in the country.

The same photo was shared here, here, and here, alongside a similar claim.

However, the claim is false.

A reverse image search on Google found this photo published by AFP on February 1, 2021 which states it shows Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam -- not Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Vietnam's newly elected Communist Party general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong addresses a press conference after the closing ceremony of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) 13th National Congress at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi on February 1, 2021. ( AFP / MANAN VATSYAYANA)

The caption of the photo reads: “Vietnam's newly elected Communist Party general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong addresses a press conference after the closing ceremony of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) 13th National Congress at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi on February 1, 2021.”

It adds that the picture was taken by AFP photojournalist Manan Vatsyayana.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in the misleading posts (L) and AFP’s photo (R):

Screenshot comparison of the photo in the misleading Facebook (L) and AFP’s photo (R)

A keyword search also found this video of the press conference posted on YouTube on February 1, 2021 by Vietnamese broadcaster VTC Now.

When Trong made the three-finger gesture at the nine-minute timestamp in the video, he said: “Our country has never had the fortune, potential, position and prestige as what we do now… I said this sentence three years ago”.

An AFP correspondent who attended the press conference confirmed Trong did not speak about Myanmar or any other international issues.

Here is an AFP photo of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, shows a card certifying that he participated in weaving the traditional Khmer "krama” during an event to set a record for the world's longest scarf with the length of 1,000 meters in Phnom Penh on June 7, 2018. ( AFP / TANG CHHIN Sothy)

Keyword searches on Hun Sen's Facebook page and official website found no reports that he raised the three-finger salute to support anti-coup protesters in Myanmar.

Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.

E-mail