Thailand’s capital can still be called “Bangkok,” but one of Thailand’s deputy prime minister says foreigners should be encouraged to say the formal name “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon”.
In a recent, what the Office of the Royal Society calls a “clarification,” the capital’s official name was documented as “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok).” Many reports say this is a change of the official name, but officials say the name has not changed, adding that the capital has always been “Krung Thep” and the name “Bangkok” is still recognised.
Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam clarified that for a long time Thais have been calling the capital, “Krung Thep,” which is short for its ceremonial name, and that foreigners have been calling the capital “Bangkok.” He added that both names can still be used, but it is encouraged to use “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon” with foreigners as using the two names could get confusing.
The official name change was met with backlash from Thais. Some started an online campaign on Change.org opposing the new official name. Thai PBS World says that as of yesterday afternoon, the campaign had 2,700 signatures.
Meanwhile, do we have to rename the famous song from the 1980s “One Night In Krung Thep Maha Nakhon”?