Vietnam bans animated 'Abominable' movie over South China Sea map

Vietnam has pulled “Abominable” from atres because U.S.-Chinese-me animated movie showed a map supporting Chinese claims to disputed South China Sea. im in one scene showed so-called nine-dash line, a vague and broken outline around resource-rich waters China claims as its own territory. Those claims overlap with claims by Vietnam and or Asian governments, and an international tribunal in 2016 invalidated China’s vast claims in a case brought by Philippines.

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'Abominable' was shown in Vietnam for a week

“Abominable,” story of a Chinese girl who helps a yeti get back to its home on Mount Everest, is a collaboration between DreamWorks Animation and China-based Pearl Studio. It was shown in Vietnamese cinemas for a week before its removal, state-owned Tuoi Tre newspaper reported Monday.

“We will be more alert and more vigorous in censorship,” he of government’s cinema department, Nguyen Thu Ha, was quoted as saying. department is responsible for censorship of all movies for violence, sex and unfavourable political messs in authoritarian Vietnam. 

Trailers and or associated information for “Abominable” have been removed from Vietnamese distributors’ website and social media channels. movie’s trailer and posters were removed from vertising screens in atres. A Dreamworks representative did t immediately reply to a mess seeking comment about scene and Vietnam’s ban. China’s Foreign Ministry has t responded to requests for comment. 

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Vietnamese fans criticise movie

film was also met with criticism from Vietnamese movie fans.“It is an insult to Vietnam,” said student Minh Hieu, who was looking for a movie to watch on Tuesday afteron. Ar student, Nguyen Mai Huong, said: “I wouldn’t watch it even if it still showed in cinema. (nine-dash) map is straight-up wrong. And I am absolutely t going to support it.”Abominable” began playing in Philippines and ar South China Sea claimant Taiwan in early October.

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Or developments

In Manila, presidential spokesman Salvor Panelo told reporters a decision on continuing to show movie in Philippines was up to a government movie censorship board. Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. in a conversation on Twitter suggested cutting offending scene might be better than an unconstitutional ban of movie in Philippines. Locsin is kwn for irreverence on Twitter and government has never clarified if his tweets express official policy or personal views.

Philippines has tempered its once-vocal opposition to China’s assertive claims in disputed sea since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in mid-2016. Vietnam’s ban of animated movie comes during an increasingly tense and months-long standoff between its ships and a Chinese survey vessel and escort ships in disputed Vanguard Bank off Vietnam.

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