When Thai programming was pulled from television following the Jan 29 anti-Thai rioting in Phnom Penh, a gaping hole was left in the schedules of all Cambodian TV stations. Nail-biting dramas were cut off midseries, with channels running Cambodian or Chinese reruns in their place, or, in some cases, just a blank screen.
More than two weeks after the protests, the programs show no sign of returning. But television viewers in Phnom Penh on Sunday complained not of missing out on the latest plot twist, but of the damage the ongoing Thai-Cambodian rift is doing to their country.
“It’s not good stopping Thai television series,” said Lim Y, a 22-year-old vendor at Phsar Kandal. “I want Thailand and Cambodia to exchange movies with each other.”
Lim Y said she considers foreign television programming an important way of learning about other cultures. “We will not know everything that happens in a country if we cut off our relationship,” she explained.
Tit Phira, a 25-year-old Phnom Penh resident, said that if the neighboring nations exchange films and television series, the process could help develop Cambodia’s undernourished movie industry.
“If we learn hard, we will know more,” Tit Phira said. “And if we know clearly about a country’s culture, we can curb any bad influence that comes from that country.”
Others were indifferent. As long as their televisions continue to entertain them, where the films are made is irrelevant, they said.
“I don’t care whether they run Thai programs or not, because other foreign movies are interesting too,” said Own Im, a 32-year-old resident of Phsar Kandal II commune.
She noted that Thai and Cambodian programs are more or less indistinguishable anyway, as both mostly focus on love stories.
The reason Thai movies and soaps are so popular in Cambodia, Own Im said, is because the two cultures are so similar.
Some influences, though, are undeniable. “Many Cambodians watch Thai movies to observe the new styles of clothes, so that people can copy the Thai style,” Own Im said.
Sorn Sokhary, a 27-year-old vendor at Phsar Chas, agreed that the reason most Cambodians are interested in Thai TV is to note the modern clothing styles the actors wear.
“No one forces Cambodians to watch Thai movies—Cambodians like to watch them,” she said. “But I don’t care if no Thai movies or TV series run on Cambodian television, because we can watch them on cable television anyway.”
Some were just too busy to watch television. “I don’t watch Thai movies anymore,” said 19-year-old Chong Siev Mey, a clothing vendor at Phsar Olympic. “Because I’m busy with my business, I have no time to watch.”
Few cared to speculate on the reason behind the continued lack of Thai programming. One 24-year-old university student, though, had his suspicions. “I thought [the shows were pulled] because of government issues,” he said. “If the government allows them to run, I will watch them.”
