Can #MilkTeaAlliance help Thais change their mind about Myanmar after years of bad blood?

Thailand might share a border and enjoy stable relations with Myanmar despite the current political turmoil there, but in Thai school textbooks the Buddhist-majority neighbour to the west is cast as the birthplace of villains and looters who invaded the ancient Siamese kingdom’s capital of Ayutthaya, took away all of its gold and used it to build one of Myanmar’s holiest grounds – Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon.

The sacking of the city in 1767, which included the invaders’ burning temples and images of the Buddha – unimaginable and offensive acts to Buddhists – led to the demise of Ayutthaya and resulted in the capital being moved to Bangkok, about 80km to the south.

Although the historical narrative has been taken as an article of faith in Thailand, a video clip posted last week on the Facebook page of a content creation company called Pud Production turned that narrative on its head. The eight-minute-long video counters the claim that it was only Burmese troops that were responsible for the pillaging of Ayutthaya, saying city residents also looted temples and palaces in search of valuables after the city was abandoned.