Article: 10 Thai Movies And T.V. Series That Were Banned

Down below is the list of some Thai movies and television series which were banned in Thailand by either the censor board or by the government. The ban was put due to some reasons like a violation of culture or religion, display of sexual contents, etc. Later the ban was removed after replacement or deleting the scene.

1. Arbat

Arbat is the movie of 2015. It's the tale of a young man compelled to become a monk by his father. Later, the young man has a personal relationship with a local girl. Arbat," a local horror film, was banned by the Thai government. The Minister of Culture declared that the Committee of Film and Media Screening prohibited the film because it was disrespecting monks and novices.

 

2. Boundary

Boundary is a movie from 2013. It narrates the story of a conflict between Thai and Cambodia through former soldiers who stay near the border and villagers of the two nations. It also shows Thailand's other disputes. The Thai culture ministry prohibited the movie as it treats national security and foreign relations, although the rating was enforced under the Motion Pictures and Video Act B.E. 2551, (2008). However, under the condition that some discourse is muted, the committee later changed its decision.

 

3. Sarawat Yai

Sarawat Yai is a 2019 Thai television miniseries based on Pol Gen Vasit Dejkunchorn's classic Thai crime book of 1989. Sarawat Yai offered a very vivid detailed account of genuine events by exposing and bringing to light the problems of corruption in the Thai police force in a way that had never been done before, based on a true story of a real-life Thai police officer and written by a police officer. The Thai police, naturally, saw this as an insult and proceeded to protest. Soon after, the police launched a campaign to ban the miniseries and demanded that Sarawat Yai be taken off the air by channel 7. Finally, after airing only half of Sarawat Yai's episodes, Channel 7 abruptly canceled the drama, leaving Thai television viewers unsure how it would end.

 

4. Syndromes And A Century

Syndromes And A Century is the Thai film of 2006. The film is split into two sections, with the people and dialogue in the second half being virtually the same as the first, but the settings and outcomes of the stories are different. The first half is at a rural Thai hospital, while the second half takes place in a Bangkok medical institution. The film is about people's transformations for the better. However, the movie became problematic after the Board of Censors asked four scenes be removed for it to be commercially released. But the filmmaker refused to cut the scenes and pulled them from theatres. To avoid censoring, the director has consented to a restricted screening in Thailand, where the altered parts will be replaced by a blank screen.

 

5. Nuer Mek

Thai action/drama film Nuer Mek, which premiered on Channel 3 in 2011 and starred Prin Suparat and Chalida Vijitvongthong. Channel 3 had to remove Nua Mek 2(2011), as certain content had been judged unreasonable for airing. The channel has never given an apparent reason. Still, we think it has something to do with the series imaginary political game and a corrupt political leader who hires sorcerer's help in getting a satellite concession.

 

6. 101 East- Thailand Tainted Robes

Thailand film 101 East- Thailand Tainted Robes of 2020 was banned. There are several scenes in the movie that will ruin Buddhism. "People's faith in Buddhism will decline if it is shown”, said Somchai Surachatri, a representative for Thailand's National Office of Buddhism. Then in Sahamongkol Film International, the picture's producer, stated it was preparing to alter various film elements before submitting it for consideration.

 

7. Insect In The Backyard

The film Insect in The Backyard of 2010 was banned. In the plot of the story, Tanya, older sister, is raising Johnny's (15) and Jennifer's (17) in the absence of their parents. Tanya is an overdressed transvestite who eats and smokes excessively, causing both kids constant discomfort. The film has been classified as pornography, which is illegal and against public order and morality. This decision was primarily based on a three-second scene in which the film's main character is shown watching a film that contains sexual activity. While the Court did not rule that the picture was designed to elicit sexual excitement, it went on to say that if the director eliminated the sequence and resubmitted the request to the National Board, the film may be allowed to be screened to people over the age of 20.

 

8. Nak Prok

In the drama and thrill-based film, Nak Prok of 2008, the story shows a recovery of a treasure hidden beneath a temple, three robbers disguise themselves as Buddhist monks. The film, which was previously banned in Thailand due to its negative portrayal of Buddhist monks, was re-released in 2010 with an 18+ classification under the new rule.

 

9. Thibaan: The Series 2.2

In the film Thibaan: the series 2.2 of 2018, Pong, who establishes a vegetarian store, and Phra Siang, a tattooed monk who is saddened after learning of his ex-girlfriend's death, are among the characters featured. Thai film authorities banned it two days before its scheduled premiere. The censors took issue with a scene in which a young monk weeps at his ex-girlfriend’s death.

 

10. Shakespeare Must Die

The Thailand film Shakespeare Must Die is a 2012 adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Due to the film's visual allusions to the paramilitary's harsh crackdown on student demonstrators in the Thammasat University massacre on October 6, 1976, the Yingluck Shinawatra government banned it as a national security threat. The film Censor Must Die, which is about censorship and controversy surrounding the film was initially screened on June 1, 2013, at the Bangkok Art and Culture Center. Before the showing, Manit Sriwanichpoom gave a short speech to a crowd of several hundred people.