The event as reported in the Irish press:

Cambodians condemn Irish artist’s digitally altered photos of genocide victims
Mon, 12 Apr, 2021 - 14:39
Nicole Glennon and Caitlín Griffin

An Irish photo restoration artist has been widely criticised after he allegedly added smiles to images of Cambodian genocide victims.

Matt Loughrey, who is based in Mayo, uses three-dimensional technology to recreate old images.

His latest work, which was showcased in a now-deleted VICE article, featured colourised photos of victims of the Khmer Rouge regime from the S-21 prison archives in Tuol Sleng, Phnom Penh.

The article has since been removed after the Cambodian government said the images “seriously affect the dignity of the victims” and “the reality of Cambodia’s history.”

VICE issued a statement on Monday to say the article failed to reach editorial standards.

“The article included photographs of Khmer Rouge victims that Loughrey manipulated beyond colourisation,” it said.

“We regret the error and will investigate how this failure of the editorial process occurred.”

Cambodia’s culture ministry also said the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum was the lawful owner of the images and vowed to take legal action if the images were not taken down.

According to the Khmer Times, there has been widespread condemnation over the “sickening” images in Cambodia.

The images were originally taken as part of the induction into the infamous S-21 prison – which operated between 1975-1979 under the Khmer Rouge regime.

The prison, now the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, is believed to have executed some 20,000 Cambodians, while up to 2m people died under the Khmer Rouge regime.

Criticism

Cambodia-based photojournalist John Vink was among the critics on Twitter, accusing Loughrey of “falsifying history.”

Matt Loughrey in Vice is not colourising S21 photographs. He is falsifying history: pic.twitter.com/z6J99J7BOE
— John Vink (@vinkjohn) April 10, 2021

The National Cambodian Heritage and Killing Fields Museum also criticised the project.

In a statement, the museum said: “This was done without the consent of family members who lost loved ones in the prison, and with other Cambodian community organizations who are involved in this work.

“We do not endorse those that seek to profit and benefit from the violent and lived traumas of our past and current history.

"Minimizing the pain and trauma of our community from those who are not connected to the experience is not only revising and erasing history, it’s a violent act.”

Head of the School of Art History in UCD, Dr Emily Mark-Fitzgerald, has said Mr Loughrey's project contains some of "the worst examples of image manipulation" she's ever seen.

"It's essentially taking these photographs of people who were victims of genocide and transforming them into these kinds of caricatures."
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40264028.html

Matt Loughrey has previous experience of reproducing photos of butchers and victims of genocide as colour portraits. In 2017, he coloured a collection of mug-shots of woman guards who worked at Bergen-Belsen death camp during the war.
Personally, this attraction to genocidal themes as a support for his artwork makes me uneasy, and sets off my "weirdness radar",( and not in a good way.)

Chilling photos of the Nazi angels of death who worked as guards in Belsen concentration camp
These jail mugshots, seen for the first time in colour, are of the women who helped run Bergen-Belsen, the German concentration camp where 50,000 perished during the Second World War
ByColin Drury

19:59, 14 APR 2017 Updated23:57, 14 APR 2017

Nine faces of pure evil have been frozen in time for ever.

These jail mugshots, seen for the first time in colour, are of the women who helped run Bergen-Belsen , the German concentration camp where 50,000 perished during the Second World War .

The Imperial War Museum pictures, released to mark the 72nd anniversary of the camp’s liberation by British troops, have been colourised by restoration specialist Matt Loughrey.

He said: “These women aided and abetted horror . You can see defeat in their eyes.”
His photos here: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-new ... h-10229123

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:34 am
my original post is as i posted it, nothing has been deleted, did NOT contain the photos from the vice article. nor did ceo post any except for my quoted twitter texts and the one from the khmer times which is NOT the full photo

Sorry Richard, if i got it arse up. But now i am a little confused.

Did the Vice article in the link you provided contain the photographs before they were 440'ed? (i thought so, but may be wrong)
Did the twitter retweets you posted contain any of the photographs which are so offending Cambodia?
ie the ones that are still up there on the OP now

PS, If those retweet photo's that are still on full view in the OP are the works of the artist, Why are they still standing Mods?
- given the directives of the government to Vice, and the deeply offensiveness of this to so many**. Sincere question.
(** including myself by the way, who has a very real, very personal and very valid reason to be upset)

Once again, not trying to hang anybody.
sure, i am offended but i am also equally interested in hearing different points of view about what "should" or should not be published on CEO, and the media generally.

SternAAlbifrons wrote: ↑Tue Apr 13, 2021 12:36 am

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:34 am
my original post is as i posted it, nothing has been deleted, did NOT contain the photos from the vice article. nor did ceo post any except for my quoted twitter texts and the one from the khmer times which is NOT the full photo

Sorry Richard, if i got it arse up. But now i am a little confused.

Did the Vice article in the link you provided contain the photographs before they were 440'ed? (i thought so, but may be wrong)
Did the twitter retweets you posted contain any of the photographs which are so offending Cambodia?
ie the ones that are still up there on the OP now

PS, If those retweet photo's that are still on full view in the OP are the works of the artist, Why are they still standing Mods?
- given the directives of the government to Vice, and the deeply offensiveness of this to so many**. Sincere question.
(** including myself by the way, who has a very real, very personal and very valid reason to be upset)

Once again, not trying to hang anybody.
sure, i am offended but i am also equally interested in hearing different points of view about what "should" or should not be published on CEO, and the media generally.

ive just put the twitter picture which includes the photos in a spoiler so they are no longer on show

Just have to watch a modern cambodian music video to see that smiles are not in fashion. On the other hand had the artist altered the photos so that they were slashing their wrists rather then smiling I'm sure it would have been a facebook hit

also on CNN:
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/12/medi ... index.html

I have no idea about the copyright situation but there seems to be ground to sue the guy. Would be a worthy cause for some law firm and their pro bono department. The proceeds would probably welcome.

Another lot of opportunists: "Let's Make Money from the Khmer Genocide ".

“Tuol Sleng” band remains defiant and uses picture of Pol Pot to say: “We’re not changing our name”
April 13, 2021
... The controversy over an American “Death Metal” band naming themselves after the infamous S-21 prison [Tuol Sleng] – where 20,000 Cambodians perished during the Khmer Rouge era – has taken a fresh twist when the band responded to criticism over their co-opting of the Cambodian Genocide, by posting up an image saying “we’re not changing our name” with Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot crudely superimposed into the middle.

As reported before, the band has caused furious anger throughout the Cambodian and Asian community, by using not only the name of the infamous prison but also stolen artwork of Khmer Rouge atrocities by the revered Cambodian painter and peace activist Vann Nath – himself one of the handful of people who emerged alive from the S-21 prison – for their promotional material.

However “Tuol Sleng” appear to be totally unrepentant, saying about the controversy:

“This has got to stop. Were an extreme band, making extreme music, for extreme people (s/o Morbid Angel) so if you dig it thats great, if you dont, thats great, but DO NOT try to publiclly attack our band, its members, or our fans.”

A video on TikTok shows a band member saying:

“This morning, I awoke to a s**t storm of angry Cambodian Americans, who decided that the name, logo and album art of Tuol Sleng was offensive and needs to be removed from the face of the earth. They demanded that we issue an apology as well as change our name. On behalf of the other members of Tuol Sleng, as well as myself, I present the following retort: go f**k yourself”
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50838340/t ... -our-name/

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Tue Apr 13, 2021 11:53 pm Another lot of opportunists: "Let's Make Money from the Khmer Genocide ".

“Tuol Sleng” band remains defiant and uses picture of Pol Pot to say: “We’re not changing our name”
April 13, 2021
... The controversy over an American “Death Metal” band naming themselves after the infamous S-21 prison [Tuol Sleng] – where 20,000 Cambodians perished during the Khmer Rouge era – has taken a fresh twist when the band responded to criticism over their co-opting of the Cambodian Genocide, by posting up an image saying “we’re not changing our name” with Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot crudely superimposed into the middle.

As reported before, the band has caused furious anger throughout the Cambodian and Asian community, by using not only the name of the infamous prison but also stolen artwork of Khmer Rouge atrocities by the revered Cambodian painter and peace activist Vann Nath – himself one of the handful of people who emerged alive from the S-21 prison – for their promotional material.

However “Tuol Sleng” appear to be totally unrepentant, saying about the controversy:

“This has got to stop. Were an extreme band, making extreme music, for extreme people (s/o Morbid Angel) so if you dig it thats great, if you dont, thats great, but DO NOT try to publiclly attack our band, its members, or our fans.”

A video on TikTok shows a band member saying:

“This morning, I awoke to a s**t storm of angry Cambodian Americans, who decided that the name, logo and album art of Tuol Sleng was offensive and needs to be removed from the face of the earth. They demanded that we issue an apology as well as change our name. On behalf of the other members of Tuol Sleng, as well as myself, I present the following retort: go f**k yourself”
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50838340/t ... -our-name/

this is their Band Tee's which use the artwork from toul sleng (which were painted by one of the survivers, who only survived because he was a painter and spared so he could paint pictures of pol pot etc)


uncensored version of the band tee picture

OK, i'm out.
CEO wants to keep spreading his shit.

You're as bad as the "artist" and the band in my books.
Personal judgement. Personal decision. I will not be a member to this.
While CEO publishes these images, this decision is not going to be retracted. you have my word.

Thanks everybody, no regrets (i was probably looking for an excuse anyway)
I'll keep my PM open for my friends but i am not going to open a page again.