A Thai academic has warned that toxic social media rhetoric risks damaging ties between Thailand and Myanmar due to an online dispute surrounding the upcoming television series Scarlet Heart Thailand.
The controversy erupted after Thai entertainment company GMMTV released promotional material for its adaptation of the historical fantasy franchise, prompting observers and netizens in Myanmar to point out that the ornate attire and headdresses closely mirrored royal court fashion from Myanmar’s Konbaung Dynasty (1752–1885)—the country’s final royal dynasty founded by King Alaungpaya—without proper attribution.
Addressing the rising cross-border friction, Dr. Lalita Hanwong, an assistant professor in the Department of History at Bangkok’s Kasetsart University, warned that bad-faith actors are actively stoking xenophobia.
“The groups are using this issue to make Thais hate the people of Myanmar,” she told Thai media, emphasizing that while Myanmar citizens have every right to voice their frustration, they should remain cautious.
“Myanmar people have the right to be angry, but to be careful not to let the issue be exploited and manipulated by those with ill intentions on both sides,” she added.
To de-escalate tensions rapidly, Dr. Lalita Hanwong urged GMMTV to issue an unequivocal follow-up statement making it absolutely clear that it had no intention of appropriating Myanmar costumes and culture.
The warning follows a formal apology and public statement issued by GMMTV on Friday, in which the production company clarified that the series’ visual and costume design drew inspiration from multiple regional heritages, including Myanmar, China, and northern Thailand’s Tai ethnic groups.
The broadcaster stressed that it “had no intention of presenting every element in the series as belonging to Thai culture,” apologizing for concerns arising from its portrayal of reference materials.
The clarification came as an online petition spearheaded by the advocacy group DatarrX Foundation garnered over 43,000 signatures demanding that the producers either rename the show to Scarlet Heart Asia or completely remove all Myanmar cultural elements.
Within Myanmar, prominent cultural figures and ordinary citizens mobilized across social networks by sharing photos wearing traditional Konbaung royal attire to raise awareness.
A resident of Yangon’s Thaketa township told DVB on the condition of anonymity that Myanmar social influencers and celebrities have used these images to voice their opposition, insisting that international studios must “not steal Myanmar culture without providing any proper credit.”
Despite the cross-border cultural controversy, commercial interest in the high-profile adaptation—based on Chinese author Tong Hua’s novel Bu Bu Jing Xin, which previously spawned China’s 2011 hit Scarlet Heart and South Korea’s 2016 drama Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo—remains virtually unaffected in Thailand.
Tickets for the official Nov. 4 premiere event in Bangkok sold out within a single hour, with the show scheduled for its nationwide television broadcast on Thailand’s One31 network on the same day.
