Foreign Ministry advisor clarifies Michael A Alfaro is PR lobbyist, not White House reporter

Chayika Wongnapachant, advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, on Saturday dismissed reports by Michael A Alfaro alleging Thai military incursions into Cambodia.

Alfaro had claimed that Thai soldiers blocked Cambodian villagers from accessing their homes and communities. He later deleted a video containing the allegations.

Chayika said high-level sources confirmed that Alfaro is “not an official White House spokesperson, nor can he be verified as being affiliated with any news organisation.” Instead, his reporting was deemed to be “the personal opinion of an individual” rather than verifiable fact.

She also noted that the Royal Thai Army had already condemned Cambodian authorities for spreading false claims that Thailand was preparing to launch further attacks, which led Phnom Penh to evacuate civilians from Oddar Meanchey province two days earlier.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Alfaro is a federal-level lobbyist and the owner of Capitol Hill & Friends, a PR firm based in Washington, D.C. Founded earlier this year, the company’s name appears designed to imply White House connections. Its website, however, contains unverified content and raises doubts over its credibility.

A WHOIS check of the firm’s website added further suspicions:

1. The listed phone number (+1.2025550131) appeared inauthentic.

2. The registration email was a Gmail account ([email protected]).

3. The address provided was simply “Plainfield, USA” without specifying the state (New Jersey or Illinois).

Chayika stressed that Alfaro’s reporting failed to meet international standards for conflict journalism. Reputable outlets typically use neutral terms such as allegedly, accused or claimed to avoid presenting unverified statements as fact. In this case, she said, Alfaro’s report amounted to no more than “an individual opinion.”