A rumor that the star of a popular Thai television series has accused Cambodia of stealing Angkor Wat from Thailand has ignited outrage nationwide, and has prompted Phnom Penh Governor Chea Sophara to call for a national ban on Thai-made programming.
The Khmer press on Monday reported a comment that Kop Supwakun Khunying, who played the lead role in the drama series “Morning Star,” made in a recent interview on Thai TV.
When asked “Who do you hate most in the world?” the actress reportedly replied, “I hate Cambodia, for stealing my Angkor Wat.”
Kop Supwakun Khunying reportedly went on to say that if any Cambodian promoters invited her to visit or perform in Cambodia, the Cambodian government must first agree to return the temples of Angkor to their rightful owner: Thailand.
The unverified story has been repeated on the radio and in the Koh Santepheap (Island of Peace) and Kampuchea Thmei (New Cambodia) newspapers.
At a ceremony in Kompong Cham Monday, Prime Minister Hun Sen denounced the actress, commonly known as “Morning Star,” renaming her “Thief Star.”
“Thief Star’s life is not even equal to a patch of grass around Angkor Wat,” Hun Sen said.
“Please, TV5, hurry to stop broadcasting Kop Supwakun Khunying’s current series, because I am afraid people will destroy the TV station,” he added.
Chea Sophara said an investigation into the story will take place, and said in the meantime he has ordered the municipality-controlled TV3 to block all Thai programming. “TV3 must stop broadcasting Thai programs and broadcast Cambodian programs instead,” Chea Sophara said.
TV3 must now obtain permission from the municipality for each Thai-made movie or series it shows, he added. The city governor called on the Ministry of Information to issue similar bans to all national TV stations.
