AI-generated audio of Thai PM announcing border reopening misleads online
- Published on May 15, 2026 at 10:57
- 2 min read
- By Chayanit ITTHIPONGMAETEE, AFP Thailand
As border crossings between Thailand and Cambodia remain shut following deadly clashes in 2025, an audio clip purportedly from Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul saying the government planned to reopen the checkpoints in June 2026 has circulated online. But the prime minister denied the clip as "obviously" fake, while an analysis of the soundtrack indicated it was generated using AI.
A 28-second TikTok video published on May 10, 2026 features images of Anutin alongside an audio clip purportedly of him speaking in Thai.
"As for the border crossings, we have to wait for things to quiet down because the public is watching. I'll open them, but not every single checkpoint," he can be heard saying.
"The border crossings are expected to open by early June at the latest, otherwise our economy might suffer."
Thailand first closed its border with Cambodia in June 2025 amid border tensions that erupted into another round of deadly clashes in December (archived link).
Violence between the two Southeast Asian neighbours, stemming from a long-running dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) shared border, has displaced around half a million people on both sides.
The neighbours signed a ceasefire agreement in late December 2025, but tensions remain with both sides trading accusations of truce violations (archived link).
Anutin wrote on his Facebook account after winning an election in February 2026 that border crossings with Cambodia will remain shut and a security wall will be built (archived link).
The same clip was also shared in other TikTok and Facebook posts.
User comments in these posts suggested many believed the audio is genuine.
"The Thai economy doesn't depend on Cambodia, you idiot," one TikTok user wrote, while another said: "You're stupid. Hun Sen orders you to open it so you have to open it because you're his lackey, you fool."
However, the Thai prime minister said the clip was obviously AI and that there were no plans to reopen the Thai-Cambodian borders. AI detection tools have also found strong evidence the audio was fabricated.
'Obviously AI'
A close analysis of the clip found it contained typical characteristics of AI-generated speech, including unnatural pacing and pauses between words.
Hiya, a voice cloning detection tool in the Verification Plugin, has also found the soundtrack has an 82 percent probability to be AI-generated.
AFP also ran the audio through the Deepfake-O-Meter, a detection tool developed by the University of Buffalo in the United States, with five out of six deployed methods finding high evidence that the audio is AI-generated.
AFP cannot find genuine media reports of an announcement that border crossings between Thailand and Cambodia will reopen.
After the clip circulated online, Anutin rejected the claim in an interview with Thai media on May 13 (archived here and here).
"It's obviously AI," Anutin said, adding jokingly: "I don't speak that eloquently."
"Please do not believe it. The clip is not reliable. I never said that. There is no open border crossing."
AFP has previously debunked other misinformation using AI-generated content to target the Thai prime minister.
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