Thailand's Culture Ministry Rebuts Miss Universe Cambodia Pageant Over Alleged Cultural Appropriation

Thailand's Ministry of Culture has challenged the use of historical Thai photographs presented as ancient Cambodian attire and culture at the Miss Universe Cambodia 2026 preliminary round, presenting evidence to refute the claims. Culture Minister Sabida Thaiseth stated on Monday that images displayed on an LED screen during the preliminary on September 18 were described by the host as "Khmer dress and ancient Khmer culture." According to the minister, these photographs were not Cambodian but were previously published by Thailand’s Fine Arts Department on Facebook on August 5. The minister said the photographs depict women from Kamphaeng Phet province and were taken there in 1906, during the reign of King Chulalongkorn, or Rama V. These images are part of the Royal Photographic Glass Plate Negatives and Original Prints Collection preserved at the Vajirayana Royal Library and were inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World International Register in 2017. Sabida noted that the original photographs clearly bear the Fine Arts Department’s watermark. However, the images used at the pageant had been cropped to remove the watermark and were presented without identifying their source. The minister suggested that the pageant organizers intended to present these images to the public as authentic Cambodian dress. The Ministry of Culture called on the organizers to stop this practice and correct the presentation. It has also sent a warning letter to the private organizers, urging them to take corrective action within a specified timeframe. The minister stressed that the ministry chose to address the matter through diplomatic channels with the private organizers to avoid escalating it into a state-to-state conflict. Furthermore, the Ministry of Culture plans to publish information on the development of Thai dress from the past to the present and continue promoting knowledge about Thai cultural heritage internationally. Thailand has already organized roadshows in several countries to raise awareness of Thai dress and its cultural development. Progress towards registering Thai dress as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity with UNESCO is expected in December. Source: Khaosod English