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Kingsman and the temple of doom: Cambodia bans spy flick Kingsman and the temple of doom: Cambodia bans spy flick
(13 days later)
Culture ministry chief condemns Hollywood sequel for use of building resembling Ta Prohm as drug lord’s hideout
Agence France-Presse in Phnom Penh
Fri 13 Oct 2017 10.39 BST
Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 15.29 GMT
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Hollywood’s light-hearted spy blockbuster Kingsman: the Golden Circle has been banned in Cambodia due to a scene that portrays the country and one of its famous temples as a hotbed of crime.Hollywood’s light-hearted spy blockbuster Kingsman: the Golden Circle has been banned in Cambodia due to a scene that portrays the country and one of its famous temples as a hotbed of crime.
The action-comedy sequel follows a fictional British spy organisation that joins forces with an American counterpart to search for a drug lord’s hideout, which turns out to be a jungle-ringed temple in Cambodia.The action-comedy sequel follows a fictional British spy organisation that joins forces with an American counterpart to search for a drug lord’s hideout, which turns out to be a jungle-ringed temple in Cambodia.
Bok Borak, director of the Cambodian culture ministry’s film department, said the “unacceptable” movie had been banned from cinemas for “using the name Cambodia as a hideout for criminals”.Bok Borak, director of the Cambodian culture ministry’s film department, said the “unacceptable” movie had been banned from cinemas for “using the name Cambodia as a hideout for criminals”.
“And what is more worrying is that it uses one of our temples as a place to produce drugs, to kill people cruelly … So we don’t allow the screening of this film in our country,” he added.“And what is more worrying is that it uses one of our temples as a place to produce drugs, to kill people cruelly … So we don’t allow the screening of this film in our country,” he added.
He said the movie was not filmed in Cambodia but the drug lord’s temple resembled the well-known Ta Prohm – a site in the Angkor complex that is tangled in tree roots and which was used as a set for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.He said the movie was not filmed in Cambodia but the drug lord’s temple resembled the well-known Ta Prohm – a site in the Angkor complex that is tangled in tree roots and which was used as a set for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
“Our temple is a world heritage site that we must protect and it is not a place for such things,” Bok Borak said, adding that a letter would be sent to the film’s producers “to show our frustration”.“Our temple is a world heritage site that we must protect and it is not a place for such things,” Bok Borak said, adding that a letter would be sent to the film’s producers “to show our frustration”.
Westec Media, which purchased the local distribution rights for the film, could not be reached immediately for comment.Westec Media, which purchased the local distribution rights for the film, could not be reached immediately for comment.
Cambodia is a popular smuggling route and destination for narcotics, particularly methamphetamine and heroin, and notoriously corrupt authorities have made it an easy hideout for foreign criminals and fugitives.Cambodia is a popular smuggling route and destination for narcotics, particularly methamphetamine and heroin, and notoriously corrupt authorities have made it an easy hideout for foreign criminals and fugitives.
The south-east Asian nation has intensified its war on drugs in recent years and there have been thousands of arrests, some involving senior officials.The south-east Asian nation has intensified its war on drugs in recent years and there have been thousands of arrests, some involving senior officials.
It is not the first time Cambodia has outlawed entertainment it considers harmful to the country’s traditional values. In the past two months the government has banned two Hollywood films – including the horror movie Jigsaw – for excessive violence deemed inappropriate for local audiences.It is not the first time Cambodia has outlawed entertainment it considers harmful to the country’s traditional values. In the past two months the government has banned two Hollywood films – including the horror movie Jigsaw – for excessive violence deemed inappropriate for local audiences.
Kingsman: The Golden CircleKingsman: The Golden Circle
CambodiaCambodia
Asia PacificAsia Pacific
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