Netflix removes episodes of spy drama "Pine Gap" after complaint
Netflix removed two episodes of the spy drama "Pine Gap" from its streaming service in the Philippines, after that Southeast Asian country rejected scenes that include a map that China used to confirm its rights to the South China Sea.
Authorities in the Philippines on Monday demanded from Netflix to remove certain episodes of the six-part Australian series, saying that the map shown in the show represents a violation of its sovereignty.
The second and third episodes of the show were no longer available in the Philippines late Monday, and Netflix announced on its platform that those episodes were "removed at the request of the government." The decision has not been elaborated, Reuters reports.
China lays claim to most of the waters of the South China Sea within the so-called nine-dash line, a U-shaped mark used on Chinese maps. The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam are also contested for parts of water rich in resources.
"After a detailed review, the Philippine's Movie Classification Board ruled that certain episodes of 'Pine Gap' were "unfit for public exhibition"," the Foreign Ministry (DFA) said in a statement.
Earlier this year, Netflix removed "Pine Gap" from its services in Vietnam following a similar complaint by broadcasting authorities in the country.
The Philippine Film Board, acting on the DFA's appeal, made its decision on September 28. It is not clear why the decision has just been announced.
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According to the DFA, the board noted that the appearance of the map was "no accident as it was consciously designed and calculated to specifically convey a message that China's nine-dash line legitimately exists".
The board believes that "such portrayal is a crafty attempt to perpetuate and memorialize in the consciousness of the present generation of viewers and the generations to come the illegal nine-dash line," the DFA said.
By: Sarah R.
