Photographer of 'cleaner Malacca River' clarifies pictures taken before MCO
CORONAVIRUS | Last week, several media outlets reported that the Malacca River was finally free from pollution during movement control order (MCO) as images of a "clean and green" river went viral on social media.
CJ Fen, the Malacca-based photographer, denied that he took the pictures of Malacca River during the MCO period.
CORONAVIRUS | Last week, several media outlets reported that the Malacca River was finally free from pollution during movement control order (MCO) as images of a "clean and green" river went viral on social media.
CJ Fen, the Malacca-based photographer, denied that he took the pictures of Malacca River during the MCO period.
"These pictures of the Malacca River were taken in February, before MCO (started on March 18)," he said in social media.
Fen was quoted as saying by The Star that he had uploaded the pictures, depicting small fishes swimming in the running river, in social media in February that went viral and were shared by netizens and former state chief minister Mohd Ali Rustam.
“Then recently, I saw that several news outlets had published articles claiming that the MCO had contributed to the river’s revival. Some had even used my photos," he said.
“My initial reaction when I saw the news reports was to laugh because this was not true, the MCO did not cause the river to clear up," said the 38-year-old.
Fen credited the clean water to the river's rehabilitation work by the authorities and locals for a year.
He, however, acknowledged that the MCO could have helped to contribute to the cleaner river.
