Thailand fires back with evidence over Miss Universe Cambodia images

Thailand's Ministry of Culture has disputed the use of historical images during the Miss Universe Cambodia 2026 preliminary round, claiming that photographs of Thai women dressed in attire from the reign of King Chulalongkorn were presented as representing ancient Cambodian culture. Culture Minister Sabida Thaiseth stated on Monday that the images were displayed on an LED screen during the event on September 18 and were described by the show's host as "Khmer dress and ancient Khmer culture."

The minister clarified that the pictures were not actually Cambodian but were previously published by Thailand's Fine Arts Department on Facebook on August 5. These photographs depict women from Kamphaeng Phet province and were taken in 1906 during the reign of King Chulalongkorn, also known as Rama V. They are part of the Royal Photographic Glass Plate Negatives and Original Prints Collection, which was inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World International Register in 2017.

Sabida explained that the original images carry the Fine Arts Department's watermark, while the ones used at the pageant had the watermark removed and were shown without identification of their origin. The Culture Minister urged the event organizers to cease the practice and rectify the presentation. The Ministry has also sent a warning letter to the private organizers of Miss Universe Cambodia, demanding corrective action within a specified timeframe, said Sabida.

She emphasized that the ministry's response aimed to prevent the issue from escalating into a state-to-state conflict, adding that Thailand had opted for diplomatic channels to address the matter. Culture Minister Sabida Thaiseth also mentioned that Thailand plans to publish information on the evolution of Thai dress from the past to the present and intends to continue promoting knowledge about Thai cultural heritage on the international stage.

The ministry intends to take a careful and fact-based approach in its endeavors to register Thai dress as intangible cultural heritage of humanity with UNESCO in December.