Lao people are often left feeling insulted and humiliated thanks to jokes by Thai celebrities and the Thai media, an academic said yesterday.

Adisorn Semyaem from Chulalongkorn University's Asia Study Institute has just completed a survey of 216 people in Laos and 40 per cent said they felt Thai television and music personalities actually enjoyed insulting Lao people.

The media were also in the firing line, with 27 per cent of respondents saying the industry harboured a negative attitude towards them, said Adisorn.

The two countries' histories and the fact Thailand is more economically advanced mean Thai people feel superior to Lao people, he said.

As far as Lao people are concerned, Thailand is the worst offender when it comes to countries that tend to humiliate them, followed by the United States.

Very few Lao felt Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan or China had ever insulted them, he added.

However, he said language similarities could be the major factor behind such reactions, because Lao people can understand much of the Thai language and few understand Vietnamese, Khmer or Chinese.

The recent controversy over the film "Mak Te" ("Lucky Loser") was a reflection of the resentment Lao people felt, he said, adding the conflict would be endless because the Thai media loved making jokes about human beings' weaknesses.

Thai film producer Grammy has postponed the movie's release indefinitely after strong protests from Vientiane and allegations the story set out to humiliate Lao people.

"Mak Te" is a comedy about the Thai and Lao football teams and what happens when the latter  makes it to the World Cup. Vientiane says it mocks Laos and attributes the team's success to its Thai coach.

In the film, several Lao players dye their hair, even their armpit hair, to mimic Western football stars, and they practise in a refrigerated container to help them accustom to cold weather. Thira Nuchpiam, chief of Thailand Research Fund's Asia-Europe Study Project, yesterday said the movie was a bad comedy made by an ignorant producer.

Unfortunately, such "bad taste entertainment" is growing in popularity among the lower-middle class in Thailand and spilling into the media to neighbouring countries and affecting Thailand's international reputation, he said.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation