Thailand Bans Film About Thai-Cambodian Border Row

[webfact]

Boundary earns ban in Thailand
By Patrick Frater
Policy/Legal News

BANGKOK: -- Boundary (ฟ้าต่ำแผ่นดินสูง), the Thai-made documentary that screened in the Berlin festival's Forum section, has been banned in its home country.

The film follows the slow journey home of a Thai soldier who had been part of the government crackdown on the 2010 'red shirt' uprising and his arrival in the Thai-Cambodian border area, site of the disputed Preah Vihear temple.

It features YouTube footage of Thai and Cambodian soldiers fighting and a Cambodian soldier critical of Thailand.

"The Film and Video sub-committee [attached to the Ministry of Culture] do not permit the documentary film Boundary (Fah Tum Pandin Soong) to be screened in Kingdom of Thailand.

The film's content is a threat to national security and international relations. The film presents some information on incidents that are still being deliberated by the Thai court and that have not yet been officially concluded," said Thailand's Film and Video sub-committee.

Full story: http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/boundary-earns-ban-in-thailand

-- FILM BUSINESS ASIA 2013-04-24

[DocN]

Land of the free!

[dahinni]

there we go

[sjjmmi]

Here we go

[Redhawk]

You have the right to remain silent.

I always liked this sentence, "a thread to national security"!

Edited April 24, 2013 by Redhawk

[Jingthing]

A great inspiration to the world famous Thai documentary film industry ...

[TomTao]

Censorship at its best, never let the people know what is really happening. Every country that was in attendance at the film festival in Berlin now knows what is happening and what has happened in the area surrounding the disputed temple, in other words the whole world knows, but the Thai people are not allowed to know!

[Thaddeus]

I don't know what what to be first, shocked, stunned or neither.

[djlest]

This is a true democracy, don't pretend our beloved west is any different. It's just in Thailand they are less intelligent at lying.

[retell]

so make good publicity and ban it the sooner it will be seen @ 4shared , and many more "free sharing sites"

remember that movie about a certain prophet that was banned ,, got the most downloads in the banned country than anywhere in the world

[DocN]

This is a true democracy, don't pretend our beloved west is any different. It's just in Thailand they are less intelligent at lying.

Yeah...ahm...care to share with me, what kind of documentary or movie you know about, that was banned like this in "our beloved west"? And...no...movies denying the Holocaust don't count!

[doctorproc156]

I can't believe that in the year 2013 they actually believe they can ban something. It's the age of the internet and these ministers obviously have no idea how people access information these days. Thais are very tech savvy and a lot of information is passed around through social media. This is going to totally back-fire.

[Thai at Heart]

And you wonder why they stick to soap operas.

Although we just read elsewhere they just censored one of those too. Honestly, I really wonder what these people think they hope to achieve by censoring this stuff? There will be a thousand internet links to it within days, and people will be happily downloading it, having had its notoriety raised 1000% by censoring this stuff. Aside from all of the other issues in Thailand, this type of thing really makes me sad. It is really a patrician attitude to the people, believing that they are incapable of learning or seeing anything that isn't mainstream or bland.

Very very stupid reaction

[chainarong]

Hitler and the brown shirts are alive and well , in Thailand , just a change of colours, how sweet.

[chainarong]

And you wonder why they stick to soap operas.

Although we just read elsewhere they just censored one of those too. Honestly, I really wonder what these people think they hope to achieve by censoring this stuff? There will be a thousand internet links to it within days, and people will be happily downloading it, having had its notoriety raised 1000% by censoring this stuff. Aside from all of the other issues in Thailand, this type of thing really makes me sad. It is really a patrician attitude to the people, believing that they are incapable of learning or seeing anything that isn't mainstream or bland.

Very very stupid reaction

Makes a mockery of the porn for sale around the place

[Pimay1]

This is a true democracy, don't pretend our beloved west is any different. It's just in Thailand they are less intelligent at lying.

Examples to back up your claim please.

[MaxLee]

Of course they cannot allow Yingluck's "hero team" to lose face,... but the whole world knows already how pathetic Thai-(Chinese) political, feudal status power game is played.

The whole world knows, and Thailand's arrogant high status people can't practically white lie about it anymore, ...

EVERYBODY in the world KNOWS!!!!! OMFFFFGGGGGG!!!!!

So Thailand's arrogant Cultural ministries AND the political and mafia clan wants to make new enemies,... so be it,...

[Thai at Heart]

And you wonder why they stick to soap operas.

Although we just read elsewhere they just censored one of those too. Honestly, I really wonder what these people think they hope to achieve by censoring this stuff? There will be a thousand internet links to it within days, and people will be happily downloading it, having had its notoriety raised 1000% by censoring this stuff. Aside from all of the other issues in Thailand, this type of thing really makes me sad. It is really a patrician attitude to the people, believing that they are incapable of learning or seeing anything that isn't mainstream or bland.

Very very stupid reaction

Makes a mockery of the porn for sale around the place

That too. But these so called censors with their defence of national secutiry, national identity, or any thing under the bed that can be construed as threatening (my most hated phrase) national unity, are in the end hurting this country more than aiding it.

[mortenaa]

This is a true democracy, don't pretend our beloved west is any different. It's just in Thailand they are less intelligent at lying.

Examples to back up your claim please.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_films

Not so difficult, huh?

[Pimay1]

This is a true democracy, don't pretend our beloved west is any different. It's just in Thailand they are less intelligent at lying.

Examples to back up your claim please.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_films

Not so difficult, huh?

Thanks for the link.

[Thai at Heart]

This is a true democracy, don't pretend our beloved west is any different. It's just in Thailand they are less intelligent at lying.

Examples to back up your claim please.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_films

Not so difficult, huh?

Note the third movie on Thailand's list in here, about the struggles of an Isaan farmer when his land is flooded to make way for a damn.

[fakename]

If you want to make a film successful, Just get it banned. Banning may have worked 50 years ago, but not now.

[falang07]

Exactly.

[Bellweather]

If you want to make a film successful, Just get it banned. Banning may have worked 50 years ago, but not now.

When Maggie Thatcher was PM in Britain she banned a book called " Spycatcher " which was the memoirs of a retired MI5 agent and it was the best thing that ever happened for the author as everyone wanted to read it. Incidentally I found a complete anti-climax

[Kilgore Trout]

Seems a good time for those who say they've left their home "nanny state" country to live in Thailand to have a good think about what a real "nanny state" is

[MaxLee]

Every movie that XXXXXXXX-poses the truth will automatically be banned, sponsored by the outdated Thai Cultural Ministry...

Thai Culture:

1. avoid making mistakes

2. accept the brainwashing until the point of incurable nowhere

3. rote-learning until the brain explodes

4. treat its ASEAN members as enemies, rather than as cultural diversity

5. Obey your Thai-(Chinese) feudal Elite clan leaders, or get shot dead

6. Accept, that the rich and powerful Thai-(Chinese) feudal Elite can break the rules, and are not punishable by law

7. Accept that the children of the powerful feudal Elite are JUST SOOOO innocent, and JUST have mental breakdowns, whenever they have commited any wrong doings or TRUE crimes...

8. Accept that really necessary jobs for Thailand, such as Engineering, machinery, manufacturing, agricultural businesses, or natural science, is just a job for the poor, and that it's okay to look down on those jobs, because university students are encouraged to stay away from those jobs, and only learn useless crap at high status universities with zero substance and relevance towards real problems in life...

9. Accept that rote learning education that mass produces millions, trillions and kachillians of so-called academic graduates, who will be blown away by REALLY successful multinational companies and find themselves unemployed

10. Accept, that thinking differently will only make you enemies among your own country people, and can in extreme cases take away your own life.

Thinking differently, CENSORED!!!!!!!

[Pimay1]

This is a true democracy, don't pretend our beloved west is any different. It's just in Thailand they are less intelligent at lying.

Examples to back up your claim please.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_films

Not so difficult, huh?

No really...easy!

Mind you: half of the films (no, i didn't count) are banned in true democracies like China or Nigeria, the list includes many films that are banned for extreme violence. I saw not one documentary but some films banned by the Nazis.

I have to ad, that I always love the solidarity here on TV. Someone makes a stupid claim and when asked to back it up, he disappears, but others come to the rescue!

You're correct Doc. I took the time to click on the movie links of the ones I never heard of in countries other than communist and dictator countries. Western countries with true democractic governments do not ban films.

[allalong]

Those who use this case to attack the "west" know little about thai "democracy" in your beloved new country.the comparison with "western democracies" with regard to freedom of expression and information isnt supported with any evidence.Poster Maxlee summation PERFECT

Sent from my GT-S7500L using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited April 24, 2013 by allalong

[Thai at Heart]

Every movie that XXXXXXXX-poses the truth will automatically be banned, sponsored by the outdated Thai Cultural Ministry...

Thai Culture:

1. avoid making mistakes

2. accept the brainwashing until the point of incurable nowhere

3. rote-learning until the brain explodes

4. treat its ASEAN members as enemies, rather than as cultural diversity

5. Obey your Thai-(Chinese) feudal Elite clan leaders, or get shot dead

6. Accept, that the rich and powerful Thai-(Chinese) feudal Elite can break the rules, and are not punishable by law

7. Accept that the children of the powerful feudal Elite are JUST SOOOO innocent, and JUST have mental breakdowns, whenever they have commited any wrong doings or TRUE crimes...

8. Accept that really necessary jobs for Thailand, such as Engineering, machinery, manufacturing, agricultural businesses, or natural science, is just a job for the poor, and that it's okay to look down on those jobs, because university students are encouraged to stay away from those jobs, and only learn useless crap at high status universities with zero substance and relevance towards real problems in life...

9. Accept that rote learning education that mass produces millions, trillions and kachillians of so-called academic graduates, who will be blown away by REALLY successful multinational companies and find themselves unemployed

10. Accept, that thinking differently will only make you enemies among your own country people, and can in extreme cases take away your own life.

Thinking differently, CENSORED!!!!!!!

http://notthenation.com/2013/04/army-chief-warns-against-conversation/

Army Chief Warns Against “Conversation”

1 Apr 2013

BANGKOK – Weighing in on the controversy created by a recent Thai PBS television show, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army Prayuth Chan-ocha issued a strongly-worded statement today warning against the trend of conversation in Thai society.

[SteeleJoe]

This is a true democracy, don't pretend our beloved west is any different. It's just in Thailand they are less intelligent at lying.

That is objectively and indisputably false.