The Foreign Ministry has stepped in to clear the
air over a social media posting of a well-known Channel 3 reporter
appearing to stand over photos of the late Cambodian King Sihanouk on
the ground.
Cambodia's social media network was abuzz yesterday with a photo of
Thapanee Eadsrichai, a well-known reporter from Channel 3, appearing as
if she was standing on newspaper photos of the late King Sihanouk spread
on the ground.
The photo, carrying the caption "Thai TV3" and "Our King", attracted
several hundred critical comments from from both Cambodians and Thais.
Calling an urgent briefing yesterday, Paskorn Siriyaphan, an outgoing
head of the East Asian Affairs Department, expressed regret over the
incident to Phnom Penh. He said Thais shared the feeling of loss as
Cambodians mourn the death of their former king. "We did not want [the
incident] to happen. We love and respect the Cambodian monarchy the same
way as we adore and revere our own institution of monarchy," said Mr
Paskorn, who will soon take over the Thai ambassadorship to Indonesia.
In a statement issued after her return to Thailand from Phnom Penh,
Ms Thapanee insisted she did not step on the photo as alleged in the
social media posting. The reporter said that before filing a report on
the late king, she put her belongings on the ground including her mobile
phones, notebooks and local newspapers featuring news and a photo of
former king Sihanouk.
