Phnom Penh (dpa) - Cambodian outrage was growing Wednesday over the new Thai horror flick Ghost Game which is set in an abandoned Cambodian jail strongly resembling the infamous Khmer Rouge Toul Sleng torture centre.
Accusing the Thai film makers of disrespect for the victims of Cambodia's genocide, head of the Culture Ministry's cinema department, Kong Kendara, said his office would cooperate with the Interior Ministry to confiscate and destroy any copies of the movie in shops in the capital.
Kendara said he had personally denied representatives of the Thai company Tifa Co permission to film the movie at Toul Sleng on June 27, 2005, because in the ministry's opinion, the script outline obviously failed to respect the memories of the victims of the Pol Pot-led Khmer Rouge regime.
"These film makers disappeared for a while but now it seems they are back. They want people to be scared, but the deaths (of hundreds of thousands of people) is not a game," Kendara said by telephone.
"The police and the Culture Ministry will cooperate, and when we find this movie, we will destroy it. I would rank it beside the videos from Iraq," he added.
Last year Cambodian cultural authorities banned the sale of harrowing images showing beheading executions by kidnappers in Iraq on the grounds that they were disrespectful to the victims and were a bad influence on young Cambodians.
The set of Ghost Game, directed by Thailand's Sarawut Wichiensarn, reportedly depicts lines of photographs on the walls in a seemingly direct reference to Toul Sleng, as well as piles of skulls and skeletons.
A group of 11 young Thais play characters in a TV reality show who must stay in the haunted Cambodian prison and brave angry ghosts to win prize money.
"The movie makes the dead out to be bad, but they are innocents. Our national tragedy is not a game. This movie looks like the Thais are not respecting the Khmer," Kendara said.
The movie, due for release Thursday in Thailand, has united all factions of Khmer politics in indignation, with some saying they fear renewed friction between the two nations due to the Thai production's allegedly crass treatment of a highly sensitive and still painful period of Cambodian history.
In January 2003, Cambodian mobs burned the Thai embassy and destroyed Thai-owned businesses during a riot sparked by unfounded rumours that a Thai soap actress had claimed Cambodia's most sacred temple, Angkor Wat, rightfully belonged to Thailand. Thailand made emergency evacuations of its nationals.
Deputy Governor of the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Pailin in Cambodia's far northwest, My Meak, said he was horrified that anyone would see the killing fields as a business opportunity.
"This is not a tool to make business. The killing has stopped. We do not forget our past, but it should never be repeated in any form, and especially not in this way," My Meak said by telephone.
Local English-language newspaper, the Cambodia Daily, quoted a former soldier as saying Thailand should parody its own tragedies if it wanted to make light entertainment out of death.
"If they were neutral, they would make a film about Thai authorities killing thousands of their own people in their 'war on drugs'," soldier Loung Nhoung was quoted as saying.
Up to two million Cambodians died from torture, disease, overwork, starvation and execution under the Khmer Rouge's bloody Democratic Kampuchea regime, which lasted from 1975 to 1979.
Accusing the Thai film makers of disrespect for the victims of Cambodia's genocide, head of the Culture Ministry's cinema department, Kong Kendara, said his office would cooperate with the Interior Ministry to confiscate and destroy any copies of the movie in shops in the capital.
Kendara said he had personally denied representatives of the Thai company Tifa Co permission to film the movie at Toul Sleng on June 27, 2005, because in the ministry's opinion, the script outline obviously failed to respect the memories of the victims of the Pol Pot-led Khmer Rouge regime.
"These film makers disappeared for a while but now it seems they are back. They want people to be scared, but the deaths (of hundreds of thousands of people) is not a game," Kendara said by telephone.
"The police and the Culture Ministry will cooperate, and when we find this movie, we will destroy it. I would rank it beside the videos from Iraq," he added.
Last year Cambodian cultural authorities banned the sale of harrowing images showing beheading executions by kidnappers in Iraq on the grounds that they were disrespectful to the victims and were a bad influence on young Cambodians.
The set of Ghost Game, directed by Thailand's Sarawut Wichiensarn, reportedly depicts lines of photographs on the walls in a seemingly direct reference to Toul Sleng, as well as piles of skulls and skeletons.
A group of 11 young Thais play characters in a TV reality show who must stay in the haunted Cambodian prison and brave angry ghosts to win prize money.
"The movie makes the dead out to be bad, but they are innocents. Our national tragedy is not a game. This movie looks like the Thais are not respecting the Khmer," Kendara said.
The movie, due for release Thursday in Thailand, has united all factions of Khmer politics in indignation, with some saying they fear renewed friction between the two nations due to the Thai production's allegedly crass treatment of a highly sensitive and still painful period of Cambodian history.
In January 2003, Cambodian mobs burned the Thai embassy and destroyed Thai-owned businesses during a riot sparked by unfounded rumours that a Thai soap actress had claimed Cambodia's most sacred temple, Angkor Wat, rightfully belonged to Thailand. Thailand made emergency evacuations of its nationals.
Deputy Governor of the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Pailin in Cambodia's far northwest, My Meak, said he was horrified that anyone would see the killing fields as a business opportunity.
"This is not a tool to make business. The killing has stopped. We do not forget our past, but it should never be repeated in any form, and especially not in this way," My Meak said by telephone.
Local English-language newspaper, the Cambodia Daily, quoted a former soldier as saying Thailand should parody its own tragedies if it wanted to make light entertainment out of death.
"If they were neutral, they would make a film about Thai authorities killing thousands of their own people in their 'war on drugs'," soldier Loung Nhoung was quoted as saying.
Up to two million Cambodians died from torture, disease, overwork, starvation and execution under the Khmer Rouge's bloody Democratic Kampuchea regime, which lasted from 1975 to 1979.
11 comments:
Dear Lok Kendara, you are quite right about that. As I said in the previous message in disagreement with what the producer has claimed that it is not relevant to the Khmer Rouge, but it truly is.
Generally, it is nothing wrong with that movie as it is considered as the "art". On the other hand, it was shot in other country, rather than in Cambodia. However, some points needed to be thought thoroughly.
The producer and writer, as mentioned in the article, are fully aware of the impacts. They knew about the sensitivity. Why were you so insistent? As Buddhist culture that Cambodian the same as Thai believe in, those who passed away in that kind of tragedy are remained respectful. Most of Khmers who had suffered in that regime are still standing. It is not just a history, but a recent tragedy occurred to Khmer who never wish to see it employed for business. The Khmer Rouge trial is also almost materialised in the near future to find the justice for the victims.
It is obviously indicated that the producer and script-writer lack "full disrespects" to Khmer victims in the Khmer Rouge prison of Toul Sleng. On the other hand, it could possibly be provocative to serve their purposes.
It is more than happy if that film were not shown publicly.
I think the thais are mistly unreasonable about Cambodians and they always try to exploit us no matter from whatever for their benifits out of us and to continue to color us as a fearful and cruel nation. The Thais must stop!!! They must realize their roots.
If you saw how Thais treated Khmers in their refugee camps and see how they supported KR, you understand why. To them, KR did the right thing. Now don't mess with Cambodians twice. Khmers fight back. Go Khmer government, show Thais some muscle. Enough for greed and disrespect. Your country became rich was part of Cambodian refugees overseas consumed millions of your products inspire of your cruelty to us from 1975-1990. It is now two times in a row, Khmer in Cambodia stand up boycutting their products kicked them out. Do Khmers overseas do anything other than keep on buying their products? Please stop buying Thais' products.
Yeah, I totally agree with that!
STOP BUYING THAIS' PRODUCTS!!!!
The Khmer has alot of social problems. First they need to learn to respect one anothers. They need to proud of thier achievements( Well, so far they really have not done much for themself). They need a hero, nationalism and be proud of themself as Khmer, the sons & daughters of the Khmer Empire and builder of the Great Angkor Wat. Stop using the Thai's culture as your own. Stop immitating their singing and acting. Khmer has a beautiful culture and literature and should be proud of them. The Thais and Viets know exactly what they are doing. They do it because they can. Khmer leaders must get heads out of their ass and show some nationalism and pride to their country or these neighbors are walking over Khmer bodies.
i dont see notthing wrong with the movie....it was intresting to see the movie i dont kno why people is makin a big deal about it.it teach the new young generation about where there families have to go through in the cambodian and thailand... im half thai and cambodian and it teach me alot
people it just a movies
DAM CAMBODIAN NEED TOO SHUT THA FUCK UP
FUCK THE THE THAIS. HAVE THEY TOO MUCH FREE TIME ON THEIR HANDS TO MAKE SUCH A STUPID GAME FOR THEIR OWN PLEASURE AT INNOCENT PEOPLES SUFFERING. THEY SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THEIR OWN PROBLEMS IN THEIR OWN BACKYARD AND INVEST THE TIME AND MONEY TO RID OF OTHER THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THEIR OWN BACKYARD THAT ARE MUCH MORE BENIFICIAL SUCH AS ARRADICATION OF DRUGS, AIDS, LADYFUCKENBOYS, ETC..., ETC... RATHER THAN SOME FUCKING LAME GAME.
Will everybody just chill out!!! It's a dumb movie and yes it is wrong and disrespectful but don't get shitty with eachother start bringing back ill feelings from way back. If anyone wants to be pissed off... be pissed off with the film makers and the cast NOT the whole country. HELLO!!! We live in the new millenium... start thinking of Thais... Cambodians... Chinese.. Vietnamese...or whoever else as just people. See things for what they really are... Peace and love NOT propaganda and hate ok???
All of you, grow up, its a movie, just sit down relax, make some tea and put on Rambo 4 instead.... !
There are Khmer, Thai, Chinese and Viet in me,so, all of you are my brothers and sisters, why can't we work together as a team? we neighbours need to collabrate and find solution for peace and to protect our future generations from further harm. At least please try to fellow the European way of life. The freedom to love, share , travel and building up to new sustainable economies and stabilities for all Asian nation etc.
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