This photo shows the destruction of a Thai temple in 2015; the Thai government denies it is preparing to demolish temples

This article is more than one year old.
Published on January 24, 2020 at 08:10
3 min read
By AFP Thailand

A photo of a partially destroyed structure has been shared almost two thousand times on Facebook alongside a claim the Thai government is preparing to order the demolition of 6,000 temples in national parks throughout Thailand. But the photo has been shared in a misleading context; it shows the destruction of Thailand's Kalayanamitr Temple in 2015; the Thai government has refuted the claim it is preparing to demolish thousands of temples.

The photo was published here on Facebook on January 14, 2020. It has since been shared more than 1,900 times.

Below is a screenshot of the misleading post:

Screenshot of the misleading post

The Thai text superimposed over the photo translates to English as: “The government is preparing to order authorities to smash 6,000 temples in national park areas throughout the country. What should we do fellow Buddhists?”

The text highlighted in pink reads: “The government of smashing temples”.

The post’s caption reads: “This is like losing our independence for the third time, the second time was when we were burnt by the Burmese. The third time is under the demolition orders of an unfaithful Muslim Prime Minister.”

The photo has been shared in a misleading context; a reverse image search on Google found it shows the destruction of Bangkok's Kalayanamitr Temple. It matches with screenshots from a video published here by Nation TV, a Thai news channel, on August 25, 2015.

Below is a screenshot of the video report:

A screenshot of the report published by Nation TV

The article’s headline translates into English as: “Director of National Office of Buddhism has delayed the order to demolish Kalayanamitr Temple”.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in the misleading post (L) and the Nation TV video (R) with similarities circled in red by AFP:

Screenshot comparison of the photo in the misleading post (L) and the Nation TV video (R) with similarities circled in red by AFP

The destruction of Kalyanamitr Temple gained national media attention after a judge ordered authorities to cease the demolition.

In 2018, a court sentenced the Kalayanamitr abbot to one year parole for proceeding with temple renovations that resulted in the destruction of ancient ruins located nearby, according to this report by Thairath, a Thai daily newspaper.

Thailand’s Anti-Fake News Centre, a government-run platform within the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, published a report here labeling the claim in the misleading post as “fake news.”

Below is a screenshot of the Anti-Fake News Centre’s article:

Screenshot of the Anti-Fake News Centre’s article

The Thai headline translates to English as: “The Government Prepares to Smash Temples in 6,000 parks around the country is fake news that has confused the general public. Do not share!”

The office of Director Thanya Netithammakun, who heads the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, also said the claim was false.

“This piece of information is false. Demolishing temples is not our agenda, nor it will ever be. We fully support the existence of temples in national park areas throughout the country,” the director’s spokesperson told AFP by phone on January 23, 2020.

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