THE Thai air force strongly denied one of its F-16 fighter jets had crashed with the video shared on Cambodian social media actually being an old incident of an emergency landing in Greece, Naewna newspaper said today (July 13).
ACM Prapas Sonjaidee, director of the Thai-Cambodian Situation Information Centre, said the release of a video on Cambodian social media claiming that a Thai F-16 fighter jet had crashed during a training flight is fake news and unrelated to Thai air force.
In checking the facts, it was discovered that this video actually showed a Greek air force F-16 Block 52+ advanced fighter jet experiencing a technical malfunction with the pilot making an emergency gear-up landing, resulting in a fire after touchdown. The pilot evacuated the aircraft safely.
“This incident occurred in Greece, not Thailand. And it has no connection whatsoever with fighter jets or missions of the Thai air force,” he said.
As investigation revealed that a clip from another country was used in the fake message the intention is to hoodwink the public into believing that it was a Thai fighter jet that crashed, he said, adding this presentation of inaccurate information may lead to a misunderstanding of the situation.
“The dissemination of such distorted information can confuse the public, affect the credibility of news, and may be used to create false perceptions, especially during times of sensitive security situations.
“Therefore, we request the public to verify information from reliable sources or relevant government agencies before believing or sharing information to prevent the spread of fake news and reduce the impact of distorted information on society,” ACM Prapas said.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front page: A screengrab of a Greek F-16 fighter jet video used to illustrate fake news that a Thai air force aircraft had crashed.
Insert: ACM Praphas Sonjaidee. Both photos – Naewna
Also read:
Negligence suspected in beer hall fire that killed 27
Bangkok pub fire kills at least 27 people, officials say
Wong Wian Yai subway tunnel repairs due to be completed in 12 days’ time
People’s leader lauds former Shinawatra family PMs meeting Asean leaders while slamming Anutin
Thaksin holds talks on economy with Indonesian leader
Anutin, Anwar Ibrahim open key road across the border
Executive decree for 400 billion baht borrowed funding judged constitutional
No hush-hush meet between Anutin and Thaksin/Paetongtarn in KL?
Swiss fans salute team after World Cup run ends in defeat by Argentina
Bellingham double guides England to World Cup semis in extra-time win over Norway
