Cambodia Bans Chinese Anti-Scam Film No More Bets As It "Seriously Damages [Cambodia’s] Reputation"
The movie, which claims to be based on true events, tells the tale of two people who are lured to a Southeast Asian city similar to Cambodia by promises of well-paid jobs, only to end up in a violent scamming compound.
Chinese cybercrime thriller No More Bets, which stars Lay Zhang, Gina Jin, and Wang Ta Lu, has been banned in Cambodia as it portrays the country as a dangerous place.
The movie, which claims to be based on true events, tells the tale of a computer programmer (Lay) and model (Gina) who are lured to a Southeast Asian city similar to Cambodia by promises from online scammers of well-paid jobs, only to end up in a violent scamming compound.
Though it is based in a fictional city, Cambodian text is featured in the film.
Various ministries in Cambodia are working closely to take measures against the film's negative portrayal of the country, saying it "seriously damages [Cambodia's] image and reputation".
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture and Arts revealed that it has sent a letter to the relevant Chinese authorities about the matter.
"We watched the entire film. It is an anti-scam film. The Chinese produced this film to promote an anti-scam message to their own people. However, it has affected the reputations of Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar and Thailand, as well as their tourism industries," the spokesman said.
"Cambodia is not as negative as the movie portrays it to be,” he added.
When asked about its thoughts on the use of Cambodian text in the film, the spokesman said: “It's already done. We do not have the ability to stop it in advance. After all, this film was shot in another country. In any case, we have already requested the Chinese stop airing this film."
Despite being released only in August, No More Bets has become the third-most popular film in China this year, raking in 3.8bil yuan (S$722mil).
Photos: Weibo
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