How Netflix’s New Thai Content Exposes Hard Truths About Media and Justice

“Chompoo: Lost & Forgotten” on Netflix may embarrass Thailand, but it has hit where it hurts. The current Thai society is on show, naked and ashamed, thanks to the documentary which recently jumped to the number 1 spot when it comes to viewing on the streaming platform in her country.

It is brand-new Netflix content, released just about one year after the Appeals Court increased a prison sentence for the man found responsible for her death. Three-year-old Orawan Wongsricha, or “Nong Chompoo”, disappeared on May 11, 2020. Three days later, her body was found naked, up on a hill several kilometres from her Mukdaharn house. Chaiyaphol Wipa, aka Loong Phol, the girl’s uncle-in-law, became a suspect soon afterwards but the mainstream media turned him into a superstar scapegoat, prompting a groundswell of public sympathy and donations.

The Circus: Turning a Suspect into a Superstar

The documentary comprises news clips and fresh interviews with people involved including Chaiyaphol himself. It tracks the frantic search for the girl, the heartbreaking moment when her body was found, the re-creation of key timelines, the arrivals of “YouTubers”, news hounds and big entertainment figures famous for turning people into celebrities.

The above arrivals combined to create unenviable Thai history. Chaiyaphol and his wife, Somporn, aka Pa Taen, became official suspects and scapegoats at the same time, gaining immense and unprecedented popularity. Netflix showed the evolution of a family that used blankets as parts of the house and toilet walls to one that managed to buy a brand-new van and turn their home into one of the neighborhood attractions. Songs were written for them by famed composers, and one of them was sung by a leading singer. Loong Phol and Pa Taen appeared on catwalks and concert stages. Crowds shrieked as if they were rock stars.

The Netflix documentary showed the embarrassing moments, which were denounced by some social commentators at the time but the couple’s supporters could not care less. The die-hard fans were all over Thailand and in many places overseas. They sent trucks loaded with furniture and basic necessities to his renovated-beyond-recognition home. Video clips of him eating rice and plain omelette drew millions of views on YouTube.

It was crazy. The Netflix documentary showed that without saying it. Some interviewees said the situation went so outrageously far that many people involved had forgotten that a very young child had died. It was all about Loong Phol, and Chompoo’s name kept fading into the background.

The Human Cost: A Mother’s Torment

All the while, her mother, Savitree Wongsricha, suffered unbelievable consequences. Imagine someone who has lost her daughter but is accused of killing her herself and at times could not leave her home because of social hate. Public loathing spread to and consumed her Mukdahan neighbourhood. Savitree was not only unable to leave her home at times, but she also could not go upstairs because that had been where Nong Chompoo used to sleep or play with her.

Savitree’s sad face and Loong Phol dancing and singing make the documentary difficult to watch at times, but in all fairness he still has one last chance with the Supreme Court. The Criminal Court gave him 20 years and the Appeals Court a year ago increased it to 26 years. The judges found him responsible for the death, but refrained from branding him an outright murderer with prior intent.

Another Netflix production about Thailand seeking to send a strong social message is The Believers. The series attempts to expose the dark side of some financial management of temples, involving corruption among senior monks, politicians and police.

The series is a strong social commentary but one can argue that Chompoo: Lost & Forgotten is a bigger surprise, as the latter deals with a public frenzy created by relatively “more innocent” people with no intention to deceive. Chompoo: Lost and Forgotten demonstrated how social justice can be heavily distorted with all the new communication tools and gullible people wishing to do good things.