Serious Malaysian photographer lied about Fukushima aftermath shots, say critics by A

[Sammyboy RSS Feed]

An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

Malaysian photographer lied about Fukushima aftermath shots, say critics
by Asian Correspondent Staff | 20th July 2016 | @ascorrespondent




Pic: Keow Wee Loong / Facebook


1135
SOCIAL BUZZ
AFTER becoming an instant online sensation for a series of photographs showing the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster recently, several quarters have begun questioning the veracity of Keow Wee Loong’s claims that he entered the exclusion zones in Japan.

Polish photographer and filmmaker, Arkadiusz Podniesiński, was one of the individuals who alleged that Loong fabricated the story detailing how he traveled around off-limits areas in Fukushima illegally to capture the photographs, which were republished in big media outlets such as Times and CNN, and hundreds of others.

Podniesiński – who boasts experience in documenting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine and Fukushima since the earthquake and tsunami – said Loong’s trip into the “red zones” were untrue and were taken “in areas that everyone can access”.


Pic: Keow Wee Loong / Facebook

“I have visited Fukushima many times to document the destruction caused by the disaster at the nuclear power plant, and so I did not have any major problems identifying the sites where Keow Wee Loong took his photographs,” he said on his website.

“It quickly turned out that all of the photos he took were not taken in the red no-go zones as he claimed, but only in the open green zone (sometimes orange).”

He added all of the places shown in Loong’s photographs were open and accessible to all.

In the blog post, Podniesiński also posted a detailed map of where Loong had allegedly taken the shots:


Polish photographer and filmmaker, Arkadiusz Podniesiński shows where Loong had allegedly taken the photographs, which he says were not restricted zones.

Podniesiński said some of Loong’s photograph’s were taken along the the streets of Namie and Tomioka, which are full of cars and people.

He said in Namie, there is a working police station, a petrol station and the first shops have been opened, adding that radiation levels in the center of Namie is approximately 0.1 uSv/h, and is therefore normal.

SEE ALSO: Malaysian photographer sneaks into Fukushima exclusion zone, capturing eerie scenes

“It does not differ from most other cities in Japan and around the world. One doesn’t need a gas mask there, much less a full-face one,” he said.

Another anonymous netizen wrote an open letter to Loong, accusing the latter of engaging in a mere publicity stunt through a false depiction of the current situation in the disaster zone.

“Mr. Loong, I have to ask: Are you sure this wasn’t just some publicity stunt, a last-ditch effort to get your 10 seconds of Internet fame? Because from where I’m standing, that’s exactly what it was: A cheap, disrespectful publicity stunt that oozes desperation in both its vision and execution,” read the open letter published in a blog entitled “Desu Awaits Us All: From Japan, With Love”.

Loong defended his account of the visit to the exclusion zone, providing his Global Positioning System (GPS) positions and comparing them to maps of the zone from Greenpeace and Huffington.jp.

Loong said Podniesiński had contacted him to exchange information but did not expect that a fellow photographer would write a damaging post about him which only highlighted the town of Namie.

Loong provided a comparison of his GPS location and the map Podniesiński highlighted in the following:


Keow Wee Loong shares his GPS mark which were taken in the red zone.

“Is (sic) nice that arkadiusz map turn the red zone into a blank white spot,” Loong said in a facebook posting.

On claims that he was merely seeking publicity, Lonog said photographers would not ‘survive’ without promoting their work.



“There will be no photo on the news paper or online portal you are reading now,” he wrote. “That’s the harsh reality of being a photographer when everyone want free photo in exchange with publicity. Ask any photographer if they feel proud of their photo being publish (sic).”


Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com.