Fake news on Thai-Cambodian border dominates list of false reports: DES
DES says 8 of top 10 fake news last week were about Thai-Cambodian border conflict, debunking rumours of troop build-ups and evacuations.
Eight out of the top ten fake news items last week were false reports related to the Thai-Cambodian border conflict, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) announced on Sunday.
Wethang Puangsup, secretary-general of the National Board of Digital Economy and Society Office and spokesman for the DES Ministry, said the ministry had reviewed 815 social media posts during the past week before compiling the top ten fake news list.
Border conflict dominates false news
Wethang said the top three fake news items all concerned the Thai-Cambodian border situation, while five more border-related stories also appeared lower in the rankings.
According to Wethang, the ten most-circulated fake news items between August 8 and 14 were:
- More than 40,000 Cambodian troops stationed at Chong An Ma
- Thai army preparing to attack Cambodia on the night of August 13 and morning of August 14
- Thai-Cambodian border tensions worsening, villagers ordered to evacuate
- Telmax products can reduce blood sugar, fight diabetes and hypertension
- Thai armed forces dropped MK-84 bombs, firing at Cambodian houses, schools and health clinics
- Landmines found along the Thai-Cambodian border were old mines buried on Cambodian soil
- Thai troops fired slingshots at Cambodian soldiers along the border
- Fake eggs distributed in Nong Khai, which turned into jelly when boiled
- Cambodia continues to import Thai products, except vegetables, fruit and petrol
- Thailand violated international human rights law by detaining 18 Cambodian soldiers
Verification by authorities
Wethang said the DES Ministry had checked with the Second Army Area, which confirmed that the rumoured mobilisation of 40,000 Cambodian troops was false. The army insisted that the situation at Chong An Ma remained calm, with no unusual troop movements.
He added that the ministry also verified that the Thai armed forces had made no preparations to attack Cambodia on August 13–14 and that no evacuation orders had been issued for border villagers, contrary to the fake reports.
