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The recent border clashes between Thai and Cambodian nationals over a disputed religious site have exposed the dangers of a societal overdependence on television as well as the thin line of hatred that exists between two countries of similar cultural and religious backgrounds.
Animosity between Thailand and Cambodia is deeply rooted in history. In more modern times, it has come to pass that Cambodians view Thais as rich, dominant and overpowering, a view that has engendered a simmering discontent just under the surface of Cambodian cultural life.
That discontent boiled over in January when it was alleged that Thai soap opera star Suvanant Kongying commented that the historical site of Angkor Wat, which is listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site, should be returned to Thailand. Despite the fact that Kongying denied ever having made any such statement, the mere thought that someone so popular held that sentiment sent Cambodians into a rage, resulting in days of rioting. The entire course of events was eerily similar to the riots during the recent Miss World pageant in Nigeria.
What the conflict revealed, was the degree of influence television has in South East Asia, a region where the people are under constant political watch by local political regimes and where the inducement to read simply does not exist. In this state of affairs, television has become the king of the entertainment industry, especially in Cambodia.
Though in Thailand the situation is different, the impact of soap opera and of television in general is undeniable. The country is one of the major producers of soap operas in the region along with Indonesia.
“The television productions from these countries have a regional reach and influence the minds of the people,” says Mohamad Selamat, a psychologist and writer of Islamic psychology books in the Malay language. “Both Indonesia and Thailand are currently enjoying larger freedom of expression than their neighbors – their [soap] operas and songs are gaining in popularity in the region too.”
The success of soap operas, either produced locally in South East Asia or imported from South America, can be measured by the throngs of viewers. While local productions are appreciated for the common languages used, South American productions are loved for their “westernization”.
Analyzing the recent Thai-Cambodian riots, Selamat notes it was undeniable that the comments of an actress had sparked such a violent upsurge in Cambodia, leading to the ransacking of factories, shops and government buildings along the Thai-Cambodian border.
Selamat also hypothesizes that the people in the region suffer from a socio-economic crisis that has driven them to escape to the fantasies of television and to take far too seriously the comments of actors.
The impact of the entertainment industry on the minds of the people is of growing concern in the region. An increasing number of children are now being treated in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and even Cambodia for their addiction to television.
But entertainment also feeds a desire amongst the often disenfranchised people of the region to break down barriers to political freedom. The people want to be free and the Internet along with satellite television have spurred momentum and incited passions.
“The populations are tired with rhetoric,” says Husain Razi, a professor in political science in Jakarta. “They want action, they want freedom to express and the entertainment industry has a lot to do with that desire. The public [does] not want to be impotent.”
Unfortunately the quest for potency in public life has led people to extremes and has left their seething emotions susceptible to influence and manipulation by the entertainment industry. And from Cambodia to Nigeria, the story is sadly the same where the specter of religious and political fanaticism has led the public to express themselves with passionate anger and an excessive love for entertainment symbols.
One Muslim scholar from Mauritius, which has seen its share of entertainment induced violence recently reflected on the lessons these unfortunate incidents have for Muslims: “Muslims in particular should learn from the incidents in Nigeria, Thailand and Cambodia or Mauritius. They should entertain themselves with the Holy Qur’an and the Hadith and they should have taqwa (piety), which encloses love and fear and passion and submission to Allah Ta’ala.”
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