Education Ministry apologises for fake flood photo

After publishing an edited photo of the Deputy Education Minister wading in floodwaters, the Education Ministry has released a formal apology. Posting yesterday on their Facebook page, the ministry acknowledged the false information.

The photo was posted yesterday showing the deputy education minister knee-deep in floodwaters, with a caption stating that she visited the areas that have been flooded as a result of tropical storm Dianmu students and school officials there.

People who saw the post were quick to comment on Thai social media that the image looked fake, as no water was affected by her presence, she cast no shadow, and other signs of forgery. She seemed to have been added into a photo of a non-descript flooded area.

One user posted that the photo was actually one she took in 2020 in a flooded area and posted the original photo as proof.

The Education Ministry quickly deleted the edited photo and then posted on Facebook that the Deputy Minister and the Ministry were not involved in the creation of the manipulated photo. They said that the public relations administration handled providing photos for the press releases. No individual was publicly named for the photo, nor was any actions or punishment as a result of the incident.

“Administrators of the official Facebook page of the education ministry would like to apologize for the incident and would accept all suggestions and comments in order to improve our duty and operation.”

Flooding across Thailand has wreaked havoc in 30 provinces, causing over 70,000 homes to be damaged and resulting in 6 confirmed deaths with 2 reports of missing people. Buriram, Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun, Nakhon Pathom, Surin and Yasothon have gotten the flooding under control, but the 23 other provinces are still struggling with high waters.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News