Old military exercise photo misrepresented as Thailand-Cambodia clashes
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Screenshot of the false post captured July 28, 2025, with a red 'X' added by AFP
Similar posts also ricocheted on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube as the bloodiest military clashes in more than a decade erupted between Thailand and Cambodia (archived link).
At least 35 people have been killed and more than 200,000 displaced since the dramatic escalation in hostilities between the neighbouring countries over their jungle-clad frontier, which is home to a smattering of contested ancient temples.
Both sides began discussing a ceasefire on July 28 at the residence of Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim, serving chair of the ASEAN bloc of which Thailand and Cambodia are members.
However, a reverse image search of keyframes on Google traced the picture to a Facebook post from the Thai Royal Air Force on June 16, 2025, weeks before fighting started (archived link).
"Images of the collaboration between the strong air forces of Thailand and Indonesia through the mixed drills," reads part of the caption, adding that the exercise took place from June 9 to 19.
"Both countries' air forces took to the skies above southern Esan," it goes on to say, referring to the northwestern region of Thailand.
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Screenshot of the Royal Thai Air Force post taken July 28, 2025, with the picture highlighted by AFP
The Royal Thai Air Force also published a press release on its official website about the conclusion of the joint air drills with Indonesia on June 20, 2025 (archived link).
Matching visuals -- including the aircraft images and the logo -- can also be seen in a June 19 article about the joint Thai-Indonesian air drill on a dedicated blog (archived link).
AFP has debunked more misinformation on the Thailand-Cambodia dispute here, here and here.
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