International
• 2 hours ago• Lim_Rothanaksambath
Myanmar People Demand GMMTV Answer for Royal Symbols, Court Dress
PHNOM PENH — October 22, 2026: Myanmar people are demanding that Thai production house GMMTV account for what they call the uncredited use of their country's royal symbols, court dress and dance in Scarlet Heart Thailand, saying Myanmar's heritage has been treated as free material for Thai screens.
At the centre of the dispute is the series' trailer, which critics say dresses its Lanna-set characters in Konbaung Dynasty royal attire from the Yadanabon Period (1857–1885) and stages a dance resembling Myanmar court performance. Retro Star Media went further, pointing to the peacock — Myanmar's national animal and a Konbaung emblem carried on the dynasty's flag, currency and official insignia — and contrasting it with Thailand's elephant. The page asked GMMTV for a clear official explanation and for credits at the start and end of episodes identifying the costumes and symbols as Myanmar's, warning that viewers abroad "might mistake these cultural elements for Thai."
Khant Banyar Aung rejected the historical defence that Burmese influence over Siam justifies the costumes, arguing that the Toungoo and early Konbaung periods sit centuries before the Yadanabon era and cannot account for the specific garments shown. Tontawan Tantivejakul's post laid out the same timeline — Lanna under Burmese rule from 1558 to 1775, with Chiang Mai adopting Burmese styles — but said the trailer shows the central Konbaung royal version, not the Lanna hybrid. "Myanmar fans have no intention of causing trouble; we simply want a clear and accurate answer," Retro Star Media wrote, while Lamarvel insisted: "Respect Myanmar culture. Respect our identity."
Khant Banyar Aung framed the dispute as a matter of decency toward a country already in crisis: "We're simply asking for our culture to be respected, our heritage to be acknowledged, and our people to be treated with the dignity they deserve." GMMTV has not publicly responded, according to the posts reviewed.
Source: Facebook posts by Khant Banyar Aung, Tontawan Tantivejakul, Retro Star Media and Lamarvel
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network
At the centre of the dispute is the series' trailer, which critics say dresses its Lanna-set characters in Konbaung Dynasty royal attire from the Yadanabon Period (1857–1885) and stages a dance resembling Myanmar court performance. Retro Star Media went further, pointing to the peacock — Myanmar's national animal and a Konbaung emblem carried on the dynasty's flag, currency and official insignia — and contrasting it with Thailand's elephant. The page asked GMMTV for a clear official explanation and for credits at the start and end of episodes identifying the costumes and symbols as Myanmar's, warning that viewers abroad "might mistake these cultural elements for Thai."
Khant Banyar Aung rejected the historical defence that Burmese influence over Siam justifies the costumes, arguing that the Toungoo and early Konbaung periods sit centuries before the Yadanabon era and cannot account for the specific garments shown. Tontawan Tantivejakul's post laid out the same timeline — Lanna under Burmese rule from 1558 to 1775, with Chiang Mai adopting Burmese styles — but said the trailer shows the central Konbaung royal version, not the Lanna hybrid. "Myanmar fans have no intention of causing trouble; we simply want a clear and accurate answer," Retro Star Media wrote, while Lamarvel insisted: "Respect Myanmar culture. Respect our identity."
Khant Banyar Aung framed the dispute as a matter of decency toward a country already in crisis: "We're simply asking for our culture to be respected, our heritage to be acknowledged, and our people to be treated with the dignity they deserve." GMMTV has not publicly responded, according to the posts reviewed.
Source: Facebook posts by Khant Banyar Aung, Tontawan Tantivejakul, Retro Star Media and Lamarvel
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network
