Thailand: Ta Muen Thom listed as national monument since 1935
Anti-Fake News Center says Ta Muen Thom was listed as a national monument in the Royal Gazette on March 8, 1935—18 years before Cambodia’s 1953 independence
- The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) and the Fine Arts Department have confirmed as true that Thailand registered Prasat Ta Muen Thom as a national monument.
- The registration was officially published in the Royal Gazette on March 8, 1935 (B.E. 2478).
- The listing predates Cambodia’s independence in 1953 by 18 years, MDES said.
Wetang Phuangsup, spokesperson for the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) on the civil service side, said the Anti-Fake News Center Thailand (AFNC) monitored and received reports of suspected misinformation and found a total of 157,644 messages, of which 7,206 required verification.
He said the main source of leads was social listening, which produced 7,206 messages, covering 43 topics requiring verification. Of these, three topics had already been verified by relevant agencies.
Among seven topics that drew the most public attention, he said the breakdown was: three true stories, three false stories, and one misleading story, as follows:
- True: Thailand registered Prasat Ta Muen Thom as a national monument 18 years before Cambodia’s independence.
- Misleading: Indonesia suspended imports of Thai rice due to the Thailand–Cambodia conflict.
- True: GH Bank housing loans start at 1.54% a year, with instalments from 3,000 baht per million baht borrowed.
- False: Immigration Bureau launched a new TDAC registration website and charges a fee.
- False: The government launched a retirement-preparedness fund under a royal initiative.
- False: Drinking warm water mixed with lemon “detoxifies blood” and nourishes the lungs.
- True: The insurance regulator ordered insurers to pay compensation of 1 million baht per fatality in the crane collapse onto a train.
He said the top-ranked topic was the claim that Thailand registered Prasat Ta Muen Thom as a national monument 18 years before Cambodia’s independence. MDES said it coordinated with the Fine Arts Department under the Ministry of Culture and confirmed the claim was true, noting that the site was officially listed as a national monument of Thailand under a Royal Gazette announcement dated March 8, 1935.
MDES said this predates Cambodia’s independence in 1953 by 18 years. Meanwhile, Cambodia’s claim is not supported by any legal documentation, and the matter has never been considered by the International Court of Justice.
