Photo of former Thai PM’s ex-wife wearing pro-monarchy yellow shared in misleading context after pro-democracy protests
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on October 22, 2020 at 10:00
- 5 min read
- By AFP Thailand
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The post was shared here on Facebook on October 2, 2020.
The image shows Potjaman Na Pombejra, the ex-wife of former prime minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra, with members of her family.
Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006, prompting the emergence of the Red Shirt movement.
The post’s Thai-language caption reads in part: “New version of Potjaman 2020, she goes into Baan Chan Song La house, changing the characters. She used to wear red, but now she wears yellow, which seems a bit odd.”
Within Thailand, wearing red denotes that someone is a supporter of Thaksin, while wearing yellow can identify someone as a royalist.
Baan Chan Song La was the residence that Thaksin declared in the Registration system of the Thailand’s Ministry of Interior as his home, Thairath a local Thai media reported here in March, 2017.
The photo was also shared on Facebook here and here alongside a similar claim.
The photo, however, has been shared in a misleading context.
Keyword and reverse image searches on Google found the photo was in fact originally shared here on the Instagram page for Panthongtae (Oak) Shinawatra, Thaksin’s son on May 7, 2019, more than one year before major pro-democracy protests broke out in Thailand.
The post’s caption translates to English as: “On an auspicious occasion of the royal coronation in 2019, Shinawatra family, companies under Shinawatra Corp, and Thaicom organised an event to pay respect and celebrate to Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn at Alpine Golf and Sport Club.”
Alpine Golf and Sport Club is Thailand’s golf course located in Pathum Thani, a province north of Bangkok.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in the misleading posts (L) and Panthongtae’s photo (R):
Thailand’s Royal Gazette published this announcement detailing a five-day royal coronation ceremony of King Maha Vajiralongkorn on May 4, 2019.
In a sign of respect to the monarchy, many Thai officials, high profile families and business sectors, wear yellow during royal occasions.
The photo also corresponds to the 40-second mark of this YouTube video by Voice TV, a Thai news website on May 7, 2019.
The video’s caption reads in English as: “Shinawatra Corp offers blessings to King Rama X”.
At the video’s 58-second mark, the news reporter says: “At an auspicious occasion of royal coronation in 2019 at the Alpine Golf and Sport Club.”
The photo shows Potjaman and her crews from another angle. The portrait of Rama X, Thailand’s national flag and trees can be seen in the background.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in the misleading posts (L) and YouTube video by Voice TV circled in red by AFP(R):
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