Fukushima photographer accused of fabrication
PETALING JAYA: A Polish photographer has accused Malaysian photographer Keow Wee Leong of fabricating his whole “dare-devil” trip into the no-go zone of Japan’s Fukushima, saying the latter had done so to gain publicity.
Arkadiusz Podniesinski, who has previously covered Fukushima, which was hit by a nuclear meltdown following an earthquake and tsunami in Japan back in 2011, said it was unfortunate that people had “swallowed” Keow’s whole story and his alleged “fabrication” had spread around the world fast.
“The entire story of his trip through the no-go zones, sneaking through the forest and avoiding the police is a (piece of) fiction by a man seeking fame and attention, as opposed to the real popularity that he undoubtedly generated,” Podniesinski said.
He pointed out that Keow had proudly proclaimed that he had given 34 interviews in a single day, including to reputable news services like TIME and CNN, just to name a few.
Due to his many trips to Fukushima, Podniesinski added, he had no problems identifying the sites where Keow had taken photographs.
“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) as well as on Road No 6, which runs through the Fukushima prefecture. All of these places are open and accessible to all.
“The green zone in the town of Namie, where the photographer took most of his pictures, has had this status for at least three years. It has been open to all since April 1 this year.
“In Tomioka, where Keow also took photographs, these zones were open, even earlier. Anyone who wishes could enter them freely from a few years ago.”
According to Podniesinski, today the streets of Namie and Tomioka were full of cars and people, and there was even a functioning police station, a petrol station as well as shops.
“One can also see a lot of repair crews on the streets of Namie and Tomioka, as well as an increasing number of curious tourists.
“Radiation in the centre of Namie is 0.1 uSv/h and is therefore normal; 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-faced one.”
He said it was therefore unnecessary to hide from the police or hike through the woods for hours to get to the two places mentioned above.
In a recent photo series, Keow, 28, had claimed that the pictures, in which he was portrayed clad in a full-faced gas mask, standing in and outside abandoned buildings, was taken at ground zero.
He had claimed that he had hiked through the woods for hours to “sneak into” the danger zone, as the authorities would not grant permission for anyone to enter.
Podniesinski compared Keow’s case to that of one Elena Filatikova, who also allegedly fabricated her motorcycle trip through the radioactive zone in Chernobyl. Her photos were also, he pointed out, taken outside the closed zone.
He said Keow never managed to access the red or no-go zones, which is the closest to the nuclear power plant and required a special permit to enter.
Podniesinski said the reason he chose to debunk Keow’s photo series was because he was “a strong opponent of seeking sensationalism, 15 minutes of fame and the money that comes with it.”
“Photographers and writers of unreliable and inaccurate texts, which are then replicated by hundreds of media outlets around the world, create a false picture of the current situation in Fukushima.
“This is particularly important here as, in contrast to Chernobyl, the consequences of the disaster are still fresh and painful.
“To date, nearly 100,000 evacuees are still out of their homes. Many of them are following the progress of the disaster recovery works and often base their decision to return (or not) on media reports,” Podniesinski wrote.
He concluded his post by saying that while he hardly asked that his posts be shared, he encouraged people to share this particular write-up as it involved public interest.
At the time this article was written, FMT had attempted to contact Keow, but he has yet to respond.
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