Thailand Bans Documentary About Disputed Border

Thailand’s Ministry of Culture has banned a documentary film about the disputed Thai-Cambodia border territory that has since 1962 sparked an often-violent tug of war between the two neighbors, according to the filmmaker.

“The film’s content [has been deemed by the Thai government to be a] threat to national security and international relations,” Thai director Nontawat Numbenchapol said Wednesday on the film’s Facebook page.

Last week, the International Court of Justice wrapped up a series of hearings at The Hague to determine ownership of a tract of land next to the Preah Vihear temple, and with tensions running high awaiting a resolution, “Boundary” has been judged as too sensitive for Thai eyes.

The film, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February, documents the life of a young Thai soldier—returning to his hometown along the border after 2010’s “Redshirt” uprising in Bangkok—and films his conversations with Cambodian and Thai villagers, while surveying damage to the area caused by often deadly military exchanges over the Preah Vihear temple land dispute.

Mr. Nontawat said on Facebook that he was surprised by the ban because he had shown both sides of the conflict. Yet the Thai government’s decision to limit the film’s exposure looks to have been counterproductive, as Wednesday evening a worldwide de facto advertising campaign was underway for the banned film on social media.

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