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  • 2022-01-27 (xsd:date)
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  • Burmese athlete's photo shared in misleading posts about him 'joining anti-coup force' (en)
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  • A photo of a Burmese mixed martial arts fighter holding a gun has been shared in multiple Facebook posts that claim it shows he joined anti-coup fighters in Myanmar, where the junta has named scores of celebrities wanted for arrest. However, the image predates the coup. The athlete -- who frequently posts photos of himself in the US -- shared the photo in a July 2019 post about joining a shooting practice in Las Vegas. The photo of Aung La Nsang -- a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who is also known as the Burmese python -- was shared here on Facebook. It has been shared more than 140 times since it was published on January 16, 2022. The post's Burmese language caption translates as: Our MMA fighter, Aung La Nsang has joined the spring revolution. Screenshot taken on January 25, 2022 of the misleading post Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military detained Aung San Suu Kyi and members of her government in a coup on February 1, 2021. Soon after the coup, the junta published a list of some 120 celebrities wanted for arrest, AFP reported here. The photo was shared with a similar claim on Facebook here , here , here and here . Some comments on the posts suggested people were misled. It is a great sign that Aung La joined in the fight to destroy military dogs. Every citizen who wishes for justice, join the fight, reads one of the comments. However, the photo has been shared in a misleading context. A reverse image search on Google found the photo was originally posted on Aung La's Facebook page on July 3, 2019. The photo's caption reads: Out here in Las Vegas for my friend's UFC fight and the MMA awards. We got some downtime, so we went out shooting in the desert. The fighter regularly posts photos of himself with his family and friends in the US. Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in the misleading post (L) and the original photo from Aung La's Facebook page (R): Screenshot comparison Although Aung La has spoken out against the Myanmar military coup in interviews and on his social media pages, there have been no official reports as of January 27, 2022 that he has joined anti-coup forces. AFP found digital evidence that he has been working overseas in recent months. He participated in a fight with Brazilian fighter Leandro Ataides in July 30, 2021 in Singapore. The footage was uploaded here on YouTube. He later appeared in public to support a charity event held by a US-based charity foundation called Seeds of Change in November 2021. Hong Kong-based newspaper South China Morning Post recently reported that he was preparing for a fight against Russian fighter Vitaly Bigdash scheduled for February 25, 2022 in Singapore. (en)
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