September 29, 2021, 06:45 PM
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Thailand's Ministry of Education recently drew flak from netizens, after posting an edited photo on Facebook that appeared to show Deputy Education Minister Kanokwan Wilawan visiting a flooded area, Thai news site Khaosod English reported.
Image via Facebook
In the now removed post, the image showed Wilawan wading through the water. It was accompanied by a caption that highlighted her concern for the students and schools affected by the flood.
Subsequently, social media users pointed out that the photo was from Wilawan's previous visit to a flooded area in 2020, and that others captured in the initial photo were cropped out of the newly posted image, The Pattaya News reported.
The image believed to be the initial photo (Image via Facebook)
The ministry has since issued a public apology, stating that it was the administrator of the ministry's Facebook page that was at fault.
Netizens poke fun at the ministry
However, many netizens remained unsatisfied with the explanation, flooding the ministry's post to air their doubts.
A Facebook user expressed his doubt over the ministry's statement that it was the page administrator's fault, and questioned who were the people who gave the initial instructions.
Meanwhile, another commenter pointed out that the crux of the issue was the fact that the ministry had posted a doctored image.
"This is misleading information", another netizen commented.
One social media user highlighted what appeared to be the legs of a person who had been cropped out of the image.
At the time of writing, the politician has yet to comment on the social media debacle.
Flood caused by Tropical Storm Dian Mu
According to Khaosod, the flood is believed to have been caused by the Tropical Storm Dian Mu, which have caused floods in 30 provinces, including Bangkok.
The water level of the Chao Phraya River which snakes through Bangkok is still rising, as authorities release water from the dam upstream, The Guardian reported.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration reportedly said that they were monitoring the situation, and have water pumps and sandbags on standby.
At the time of writing, it is unclear whether the flood will impact plans to reopen schools in Bangkok, after months of closure due to Covid-19.
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Top image via Florian Witulski/Twitter & Bangkok Patana School's website
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