
Does This Picture Showcase A Theme Park In Malaysia During Lockdown?
A viral social media image shows overgrown shrubs at a theme park in Malaysia during coronavirus lockdown is false.

An image has been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Twitter and Facebook which claim it shows overgrown shrubs at a theme park in Malaysia during a coronavirus lockdown. The claim is false; the image shows an abandoned theme park in Japan; it has circulated online since at least May 2019.
Screenshot of misleading tweet
Screenshot comparison of the picture from the misleading post (L) and the Instagram post (R)
Screenshot of a picture from a May 2010 blog post
Screenshot comparison of the picture from the misleading post (L) and a picture from the blog post (R)
Screenshot comparison of the picture from the misleading post (L) and a picture from the blog post (R)
This photo, posted on Twitter on May 2, 2020, has been retweeted more than 10,000 times.
The caption reads: "escalator sunway lagoon".

Screenshot of misleading tweet
Sunway Lagoon is a theme park in Kuala Lumpur.
It has been closed since March 18, 2020, the day Malaysia enforced a nationwide lockdown in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown has been extended until at least June 9, 2020.
The same image has also been shared on Facebook here, here and here, alongside a similar claim.
The claim is false.
A reverse image search on Google found the image was posted on Instagram here May 8, 2019 by Instagram user espinas3.
Its caption reads in part: "Destined to be green. Abandoned escalator".
Below is screenshot comparison of the picture from the misleading post (L) and the Instagram post (R):

The Instagram account espinas3 belongs to a photographer based in Japan who specialises in urban exploration photography.
The photographer also posted photos at the same location; a caption of this picture says: "Abandoned amusement park".
A further keyword search found this picture from a May 2010 blog post identifying the location as Nagasaki Holland Village, an abandoned Dutch-themed amusement park in the Japanese city of Saikai in Nagasaki prefecture.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the image in the misleading post (L) and pictures from the blog post (R):


Sunway Lagoon, the Malaysian theme park, also denied the claim in the misleading posts in a Twitter post published here on May 4, 2020.
The Malay-language tweet translates to English as: "That's a scary escalator, good thing ours are still good and not filled with leaves. But the idea can be used for Nights of Fright 8 bro. Got the feeling of entering a jungle looking for a ghost".
Updated On: 2020-05-29T19:56:35+05:30
Claim : An image has been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Twitter and Facebook which claim it shows overgrown shrubs at a theme park in Malaysia during a coronavirus lockdown.
Claimed By : Social Media Posts
Fact Check : False
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