The internet was roaring yesterday, despite it being a public holiday, as news broke that Bangkok would soon “change” its name to be known as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon.
Whilst people were quick to jump to conclusions — and in fact, the Bangkok Post wrote an entire article about this confusion — the reality does not change much. All that we know is that the cabinet has approved a draft proposal by the Office of the Royal Society (ORST) stating that “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon” will become the official name for the capital of Thailand, and that “Bangkok” can still follow in parentheses. In fact, Bangkok will still be recognised as before, and the ORST even posted on their Facebook page that both names could still be used.
However, quite naturally, the topic garnered a few tongue-in-cheek online reactions. Will Bangkok Airways rebrand to Krung Thep Maha Nakhon Airways? Will Bangkok University change to Krung Thep Maha Nakhon University? Of course not, but we can’t say we didn’t notice the memes. Check them out below, and don’t take everything to heart. Whatever you’d like to call this city, at least it has a good sense of humour.
Bangkok Air
https://twitter.com/_flamingpearls/status/1494141621012930569?s=21
Bangkok University
กดรักจร้าาา#Bangkok #KrungThepMahaNakhon #ที่นี่ประเทศไทย pic.twitter.com/2CLlQNap2j
— Ruj Skywalker (@iamruj) February 16, 2022