Chinese Embassy Pressures Bangkok Film Festival to Remove Taiwan Logo
Chinese Embassy officials allegedly pressured organizers of Bangkok's Taiwan Documentary & Film Festival to remove Taiwan's Ministry of Culture logo from promotional materials, but festival organizers refused and suggested the embassy follo
The Thai director of the Taiwan Documentary & Film Festival in Bangkok has alleged that diplomats from the Chinese Embassy sought to pressure organisers into removing the name and logo of Taiwan's Ministry of Culture from the festival's promotional materials.
"[On Monday], someone claiming to be an official from the Chinese Embassy called both cinemas hosting our film festival. They said they were uncomfortable seeing the logo of Taiwan's Ministry of Culture and requested that we remove it," organiser Thida Philtpolkarnpim told Khaosod English. She said the caller spoke Thai with a Chinese accent and became threatening, raising his voice when she refused to comply.
"Then today [Tuesday], another official from the Chinese Embassy went directly to one of the cinemas. Our team spoke with him, and he made the same request."
The festival is co-organised by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand (TECO Thailand) and other partners.
"We replied that we could not remove it because we are simply the organisers doing our job," Thida said. "If they have any issues, we asked them to follow the proper procedures—either by speaking directly with Taiwan or through Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
She said the Chinese official remained outside the cinema for some time before leaving, telling organisers that he would report the matter to his superiors and seek to escalate it into a national-level issue.
Khaosod English contacted the Chinese Embassy on Wednesday morning and afternoon to ask about the alleged incident and why the embassy had not instead raised the matter through Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. No response had been received by the time of publication.
A staff member at TECO Thailand confirmed the incident to Khaosod English on Tuesday afternoon. The staff member said TECO representative Peter Lan would address the issue during his opening remarks at the festival's launch at House Samyan at 18:00 on Wednesday.
Thida said she informed TECO Thailand of the incident on Tuesday and was told that if the Chinese Embassy wished to object officially, it could lodge a complaint with Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which would then communicate with the Taiwan office through established diplomatic channels.
She added that the festival had been held for seven years without incident before the alleged interference surrounding this year's eighth edition.
The festival proceeded on Wednesday evening without further incident.
Peter Lan, representative of Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in Thailand, was asked about the alleged attempted intervention by the Chinese Embassy and said "We have all the supports from various partners. [There was] no call from [the Thai] Foreign Ministry," he said, adding that Thailand has freedom of speech and freedom of expression.
