The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has told Netflix to remove episodes of the spy drama “Pine Gap” that will see China’s nine-dash line in disputed territory in the South China Sea.
“After a thorough review, the Board ruled that certain episodes of Pine Gap are ‘unfit for public exhibition.’ The MTRCB also ordered the immediate pull-out of relevant episodes by its provider, Netflix Inc, from its video streaming platform,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Monday.
“Using the medium of a motion picture is but China’s unconventional approach to gain an upper hand in the territorial conflict in the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea,” it added.
Such a nine-dash line map made by China covers almost the entire South China Sea, including the territories covered by the Philippines and even by other countries.
“The portrayal of the illegal nine-dash line in Pine Gap is no accident as it was consciously designed and calculated to specifically convey a message that China’s nine-dash line legitimately exists,” according to the DFA.
It added that “It 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.”
MTRCB wants ‘Pine Gap’ episodes showing China’s 9-dash line removed from Netflix
Pine Gap is an Australian television series that was released on Netflix and broadcast on ABC in 2018. The six-part series is written and created by Greg Haddrick and Felicity Packard, with Mat King directing all six episodes. The series is produced by Screentime.
The MTRCB allegedly issued a decision on September 28 after the DFA filed a complaint.
In the decision, MTRCB stressed that “under a whole-of-nation approach, every instrumentality of the government, whenever presented with the opportunity, has the responsibility to counter China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea to assert the Philippines’ territorial integrity. ”
Netflix has yet to issue a statement regarding the issue.
The DFA expects Netflix to follow the MTRCB directive. In July, the company also removed the series in Vietnam after the country also complained.
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