Previously, a major controversy arose after the Miss Universe Cambodia 2026 pageant Miss Universe Cambodia 2026 released a video presenting national costumes using ancient Thai photographs, describing them as traditional Cambodian attire.
They used the original photos but removed the watermark or seal from the Fine Arts Department to mislead viewers into thinking the images represented Cambodian culture. This sparked widespread criticism.
The disputed photo shows seven women sitting wearing tube-sleeved shirts, draped shawls, and traditional loincloths, which the Cambodian side claimed as their own, but in fact, it is a historical photo of women from Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand, documented as evidence. This prompted the Thai Ministry of Culture to confirm the historical facts with original glass plate negatives and prepare to send an official protest and warning to the Cambodian pageant to stop spreading distorted information.
Recently, theMiss Universe Cambodiapageant issued an apology statement clarifying that there was no intention or deliberate act involved, attributing the mistake to insufficient source verification. The organizers accepted the criticism and pledged to tighten source verification procedures to ensure clearer and more accurate information in the future.
“Recently, the pageant received feedback and public attention regarding the images prepared and released by the Miss Universe Cambodia 2026 team.
The Miss Universe Cambodia 2026 team clarifies that the use of some images in the presentation was unintentional and resulted from errors in thoroughly verifying their sources. The pageant confirms there was no intent to cause misunderstanding, controversy, or offend the public, either nationally or internationally.
The sole purpose of the presentation was to celebrate the diversity and deep historical value reflected in the beauty and delicacy of the traditional "sabai" shawl and attire, which are invaluable cultural heritage of Cambodia.
The Miss Universe Cambodia 2026 team respectfully accepts the constructive criticism and feedback. Moreover, the pageant will treat this incident as a valuable lesson to improve and strengthen the process of verifying sources of information, images, and content to ensure clarity, accuracy, and greater responsibility going forward.”.
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