The Culture Ministry is preparing to send a warning and letter of objection to the organisers of Miss Universe Cambodia 2026 over their use of a historical photograph of women from Kamphaeng Phet, which the ministry says was presented as depicting ancient Cambodian dress.
Culture Minister Sabeeda Thaised told the media today that the ministry will ask the pageant organisers to correct the information and issue an apology. If they fail to do so, the ministry will consider taking legal action.
The issue arose during the preliminary round of Miss Universe Cambodia 2026 on September 18, when historical images were displayed on an LED screen. According to the ministry, the presenter described the images as depicting "Khmer dress and ancient Khmer culture."
Sabeeda said one of the images was, in reality, a photograph of women from Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand, taken in 1906 during the reign of King Chulalongkorn, or Rama V.
She said the photograph had previously been published by Thailand's Fine Arts Department on its Facebook page on August 5.
The original image is preserved in the Vajirayana Library collection and was included in a UNESCO Memory of the World registration in 2017, according to the ministry.
Sabeeda said the original photograph bears a Fine Arts Department watermark, which had been cropped out when the image was used by the pageant’s organisers.
She said the use of the photograph without identifying its source could lead the public to believe that it depicted Cambodian dress and culture.
The ministry will set a deadline for the organisers to correct the information and apologise, Sabeeda said, adding that it will also step up efforts to disseminate information about the development of Thai dress from the past to the present, including through international roadshows.
Sabeeda stressed that the ministry does not want the issue to escalate into a dispute between the two countries and will initially address the matter through diplomatic channels with the private organisers of the pageant.
She also said that Thailand expects to see progress in its effort to have Thai dress listed as intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO in December.
"Therefore, the process must be handled carefully and based on facts," she said.
Main photo: This photo shows women from Kamphaeng Phet during the reign of King Chulalongkorn. They wore chong kraben on the lower body and blouses with tight, long sleeves, finished with sashes around the waist. Their look was completed by the short dok krathum hairstyle.//Fine Arts Department
