FACT CHECK: The claim of Government buying back old 15 Kyat note for 15 lakh Kyat is a hoax.

A misleading news article shared on Facebook claims that Myamar government is buying old and not in circulation notes of 15 Kyat for 15 lakh Kyat. The article contains a video and it is being shared 1^st March 2020 and has been shared by 269 Facebook users. The video in the article, released in the month of January when notes of Thousand Kyats, bearing General Aung San’s picture, was brought in circulation. However, the article is being shared on Facebook with a misleading caption. Below is a post sharing the article with a Caption in Burmese that translates to, “Antique General Photo. 15 kyats per paper and 15 lakhs every mandalay will be purchasing from CB Bank.” The screenshot and the link of the post are as follows:

Facebook

Archived Link

Many users have shared the post without clicking on the content assuming the caption to be truth. Hence, let us find out the fact behind the content.

Fact Check

1. The video in the article nowhere mentions about buying back old 15 Kyat currency notes for 15 lac Kyats as claimed in the caption of the viral Facebook post.

2. There is no such statement on the Central Bank of Myanmar website.

3. There were no news reports by prominent media outlets suggesting government is buying back old 15 Kyat notes, when searched on Google.

Conclusion

The caption of the Facebook post is false and misleading. The caption suggests that government is buying back old 15 Kyat notes for 15 lakh Kyats. However, the content of the article does not support the claim neither could we find any evidence that supports the claim. Hence, the claim that Myanmar government is buying back 15 Kyat notes for 15 lac Kyats is baseless.