Why Is Scarlet Heart Thailand Facing Criticism from the People of Myanmar? Let Me Explain. 1. Previous dramas depicting Thai–Burmese history took the time to portray Burmese traditional culture, clothing, and customs with care and historical context. The actors involved also conducted proper research and studied Myanmar’s history and culture to understand what they were portraying. These productions acknowledged the cultural and historical identity of Myanmar and treated it seriously. That is why we were able to accept and appreciate those dramas without controversy. 2. Scarlet Heart Thailand is fundamentally different from those historical dramas. It is a fictional story in which the female lead travels through time from modern-day Thailand to an imaginary city. So why are Burmese traditional costumes appearing in this fictional city? There are no Burmese characters, and the production has not acknowledged that these costumes originate from Burmese cultural traditions. The title itself includes the word “Thailand.” If we had not spoken up, viewers could easily have assumed that these costumes were exclusively Thai traditional attire. This risks misrepresenting the origins of our traditional clothing and allowing the public to form a false impression, all without giving credit to the culture from which these elements are believed to have been drawn. 3. This is the most important concern. The oil-lamp dance featured in the trailer is a traditional offering dance of the Rakhine people, an ethnic group in Myanmar, performed as an act of devotion to the Buddha. However, the series appears to portray this culturally and religiously significant dance as a performance intended to entertain men. When a production chooses to represent another country’s culture, it has a responsibility to research that culture thoroughly and portray it with care and respect. Simply calling something “fiction” should not be used as an excuse to dismiss legitimate cultural concerns or avoid accountability. We are not blaming Thailand as a country, nor are we trying to create conflict between the two nations. We are asking GMMTV, the production company, to acknowledge these concerns and provide a meaningful explanation. This is about cultural recognition, responsible representation, and respect—not about creating hostility between neighboring countries. GMMTV RESPECT MYANMAR CULTURE @GMMTV #RespectMyanmarCulture #CreditOurHeritage #ScarletHeartTH