Myanmar anti-junta pages falsely share old photo as 'shot-down military chopper'

As fighting intensified between the military and ethnic armed groups in parts of Myanmar, an old photo of a damaged helicopter gained traction in Facebook groups that suggested it was a recently shot-down military aircraft. However, the photo was published in 2020 in a report about a chopper that suffered mechanical failure during take-off.

"What is this? I'm asking because I really can't tell what it is," read a Burmese-language Facebook post with a laughing emoji.

It showed a photo of a badly damaged helicopter with no tail rotor.

The post was shared on November 1, 2024, as Myanmar's junta fought ethnic armed groups across the country (archived link).

The Southeast Asian country has been racked by conflict between the military and various armed groups opposed to its rule since the army ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in February 2021.

The junta's brutal crackdown on anti-coup protesters has forced thousands of youth into the newly founded "People's Defence Forces" and reignited fighting with ethnic armed groups.

The Facebook post was shared by an anti-junta account with 17,000 followers, which appeared to poke fun at the state of the military.

The photo spread across anti-junta Facebook accounts shortly after a similar false claim emerged in the form of a video presented as a junta helicopter stormed by the Arakan Army (AA) ethnic armed group in Myanmar's restive Rakhine state.

Some Facebook users appeared to believe the photo showed a military helicopter downed by rebels.

"It’s so sad, only one got hit?" one person commented.

"It's a roast bird that the Rakhines are enjoying," another wrote.

"Roast bird" is common online slang in Myanmar to refer to a military plane, while "the Rakhines" appears to refer to the AA.

'Mechanical failure'

A reverse image search on Google found the photo published on the website of Myanmar's Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services (CINCDS) on March 7, 2020 (archived link).

It was featured in a statement about a helicopter crash which was titled: "Helicopter grounded from mechanical issues during take off, slightly injuring two pilots."

According to the statement, the aircraft was transporting military attachés and reporters covering a drugs seizure in Kutkai Township in Myanmar's Shan State.

The chopper was hit by mechanical failure during take-off, it said.

AFP published a photo of the damaged aircraft on March 6, 2020, taken from a different angle (archived link).

The photo caption says it showed a damaged helicopter "following an accident while about to take off from Kawnghka in Shan State on March 6, 2020."

Below is a comparison between the photo from the CINCDS's website (left) and AFP's photo (right)m with similarity highlighted.

"There were four helicopters carrying military attachés from embassies, military officials and journalists on that day," said an AFP correspondent who reported on the anti-narcotic campaign press briefing at the time.

"The helicopter carrying military attaché slowly fell a few minutes after it took off from the ground."