• Burmese
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Asia

Thai Soaps Trigger Outcry Over Romanticizing Rape 

The Irrawaddy by The Irrawaddy
October 17, 2014
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 5 mins read
0 0
A A
Thai Soaps Trigger Outcry Over Romanticizing Rape 

A poster advertising a Thai soap opera. (Photo: thaiworldview.com)

5.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

BANGKOK — In a famous scene from Thailand’s award-winning soap opera “The Power of Shadows,” the handsome protagonist gets drunk and rapes the leading lady. He later begs her forgiveness, and they live happily ever after.

Boy Meets Girl, Boy Rapes Girl, Boy Marries Girl. The premise is so common in Thailand’s popular primetime melodramas it could be called a national twist on the universal romantic plotline. But calls for change are growing.

The recent real-life rape and murder of a girl on an overnight train in Thailand has focused national outrage on messages in popular culture that trivialize—and some say even encourage—rape. Even the powerful general who took over the country in a coup this year had to apologize after suggesting that women who wear bikinis on the beach are vulnerable to sexual assault.

RelatedPosts

Myanmar Junta’s ‘Living Fence’ on Thai Border Falls to Karen Resistance

Myanmar Junta’s ‘Living Fence’ on Thai Border Falls to Karen Resistance

July 14, 2025
933
Myanmar Junta Launches Space Agency With Russian Help

Myanmar Junta Launches Space Agency With Russian Help

July 14, 2025
640
TNLA Invites Investment in Ruby and Mineral Towns Amid Myanmar Junta Onslaught

TNLA Invites Investment in Ruby and Mineral Towns Amid Myanmar Junta Onslaught

July 14, 2025
489

Many in the soap opera industry continue to defend sexual violence, in part, as a key to high ratings in a fiercely competitive industry that draws more than 18 million viewers a night to network television, nearly a quarter of Thailand’s population.

Award-winning director Sitthiwat Tappan even describes some rape scenes as a sort of public service.

“There might be a scene where a woman is dressed sexy, and she walks past a man who has been drinking, and it shows on his face that he’s aroused and wants her,” Sitthiwat said. “In the end, she succumbs to the physical power of the man.”

“Scenes like this try to teach society that women should not travel alone or wear revealing clothes,” the director said. “And men shouldn’t drink.”

But rapists are seldom punished in TV melodramas, and their victims rarely talk about it. That much, at least, is reflected in real life.

Last year, the Public Health Ministry said its hotlines received 31,866 calls from victims of rape or sexual assault. But police that year filed only 3,300 rape cases, and made just 2,245 arrests. Even the hotline number is believed to be far lower than the actual number of assaults in this Southeast Asian country of 67 million.

Public concern about rape in Thai society grew this summer, after a 13-year-old girl was raped on an overnight train, then suffocated and thrown out the window. A 22-year-old train employee has been convicted of the attack and sentenced to death, and the rail authority has introduced a women-and-children-only sleeper carriage with policewomen as guards.

Indignant newspaper editorials and TV talk shows have triggered a national conversation, and an online petition asking soap operas to stop romanticizing rape has attracted more than 30,000 signatures.

“I’m not saying soap operas are the cause of rape in Thailand. But I believe they are part of the problem,” said Nitipan Wiprawit, a 36-year-old architect who launched the petition. “Soap operas send the message that rape is acceptable. This is something that needs to stop.”

As a result of Nitipan’s petition, the national broadcasting commission has organized roundtables that bring directors and screenwriters together with health and human rights experts to discuss the messages soap operas deliver. The latest one focused on how TV sexual violence influences Thai children, who are often raised on a steady diet of nighttime soaps that parents switch on after dinner.

“Some producers might say that what they’re producing doesn’t have an impact on people, but I assure you it does,” Kemporn Wirunrapan, of Thailand’s Child and Youth Media Institute, told the forum. “The more children see repetitive images of violence, the more it will be reinforced in their minds.”

In a poll of more than 2,000 youths conducted by Thailand’s Assumption University in 2008, more than 20 percent of 13- to-19-year olds said rape scenes were their favorite part of TV shows. The same percentage of teenagers said they found rape to be a normal and acceptable act in society.

Yossinee Nanakorn, producer of one of Thailand’s best-known soaps “Prisoner of Love,” said rape scenes are sometimes essential to plotlines.

“Soap operas are all about conflict. Without conflict there’s no story,” she said. “We try to avoid rape scenes, but if it helps drive the story then we keep it.”

The idea that some forms of sexual violence are acceptable is reflected even in the Thai language.

The word “blum,” which translates roughly as “wrestling,” is how Thais describe unconsenting sex that a man initiates to make a woman fall in love with him. It is considered different from “khom-kheun,” the criminal act of rape.

“Blum” is what transpires in “The Power of Shadows,” says Arunosha Bhanupan, producer of the soap, which aired in 2012 and recorded the highest ratings in the history of its network.

“In theatrical terms, it was an act of love,” the producer said, referring to the scene where the lead actor grabs the heroine and rapes her after she slaps him and screams, “Let me go!”

“It wasn’t rape. It was more romantic, because they were in love.”

That is one type of soap-opera rape scene: the seduction of a “good girl.” Thai soaps also have “bad girls,” for whom rape is depicted as punishment for behavior deemed immoral, like dressing provocatively and promiscuity.

Feminist scholar Chalidaporn Songsamphan said rape fantasies in Thai culture stem in part from traditional beliefs that it is improper for women to show sexual desire before marriage.

“When men initiate sex, women have to try to reject it, or say no, to show they are innocent sexually,” said Chalidaporn, a women’s studies professor at Bangkok’s Thammasat University. “Rape scenes on television reflect this kind of thinking.”

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the former army chief who took control of the country in May, stumbled into the debate with a comment he made last month, soon after the bodies of two British tourists were found bludgeoned to death on a Thai beach. He said women who wear bikinis in Thailand will be safe “only if they are not beautiful,” a remark instantly ridiculed on social media as chauvinistic and insensitive to the female victim, who had been photographed in a bikini prior to her rape and murder. Prayuth apologized for having “spoken too harshly.”

Another high-profile slip-up came last month when Durex Thailand released an online advertisement saying: “28 percent of women who resist eventually give in”—an ad viewed as encouraging its male customers to rape. The condom maker quickly pulled the ad from its Thai Facebook page and issued an apology for the “inappropriate” post.

For some actresses, the reality of rape has exposed the flaws in how it is dramatized on television.

Up-and-coming star Pimthong Washirakom played a “bad girl” in the series “The Rising Sun” who is raped by a police detective after he locks her in his office.

As the cameras rolled, the 22-year-old’s thoughts drifted to the child whose body was thrown from the train.

“I felt like the girl in the news,” she said. “I thought of the 13-year-old girl, and tears started running down my face.”

Her crying, and violent portions of the rape scene, were edited out of the episode, which ran last month. The cuts drew complaints from some of the cast and crew, but Pimthong supported them.

“Sometimes, viewers don’t have the right judgment and might imitate what they see,” she said. “Our society is deteriorating every day, so we have to cut certain scenes off. Kids are definitely watching this show. Why would we let them watch a rape scene?”

Your Thoughts …
The Irrawaddy

The Irrawaddy

...

Similar Picks:

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang
Burma

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 28, 2023
98.5k

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army troops are opening roads and pathways through forests for people to flee Kokang’s capital as...

Read moreDetails
Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public
Burma

Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public

by The Irrawaddy
February 7, 2024
89.9k

People’s Defense Force says junta troops told every household in the village to send one member to witness the double...

Read moreDetails
Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
War Against the Junta

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

by The Irrawaddy
November 29, 2023
87.1k

Brotherhood Alliance member says it now has complete control of Kokang’s northernmost section after the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 125...

Read moreDetails
Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks
Burma

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

by The Irrawaddy
December 4, 2023
59k

The junta said deserters would not be punished for minor crimes, highlighting the military’s shortage of troops as resistance offensives...

Read moreDetails
As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue
Burma

As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue

by The Irrawaddy
April 19, 2024
47k

The junta’s No. 2 has not been seen in public since April 3, sparking rumors that he was either gravely...

Read moreDetails
Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow
Burma

Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow

by The Irrawaddy
February 12, 2024
44.8k

Ethnic armed grouping says it will continue Operation 1027 offensive until goal of ousting the junta is achieved. 

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
US Seeks More From China

US Seeks More From China, Asian Muslim Nations, on Islamic State

Hilton and Eden Group Open Hilton Hotel in Naypyidaw

Hilton and Eden Group Open Hilton Hotel in Naypyidaw

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

6 days ago
1.3k
China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

7 days ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta’s ‘Living Fence’ on Thai Border Falls to Karen Resistance

    Myanmar Junta’s ‘Living Fence’ on Thai Border Falls to Karen Resistance

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Las Vegas in Laos’: the Riverside City Awash With Crime

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Launches Space Agency With Russian Help

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • TNLA Invites Investment in Ruby and Mineral Towns Amid Myanmar Junta Onslaught

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Chief Thanks Trump for Shutting Down VOA and RFA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.