Will the name of Bangkok change?
Bangkok Post has reported that the Office of the Royal Society (ORST) has announced the change of the official name of Thailand’s capital, from Bangkok to Krung Thep Maha Nakhon. However, the name Bangkok is still recognised.
The comments are from the Bangkok Post article as written by their staff writers. My comments, which I hope will generate a thoughtful discussion on Medium, are shown preceded by ***
*** Medium.com readers will note, however, that it is common in today’s Thailand that announcements have no force until published in the Royal Gazette, and that until then even the announcements themselves can change on a daily basis.
The ORST’s committee on the dictionary of international geographic names, comprising experts from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, had updated the spelling of countries, territories, administrative zones and capitals to be in line with the current situation. It sent its report to the Thai government for consideration.
*** It is not clear what “in line with the current situation” means. Bangkok Post has certainly not commented on it. Could it refer to the demonstrations against the government and monarchy currently taking place and which is getting uncontrollable? Criticisms of the handling of Covid by the government and the invasion of Ukraine have been useful “distractions” from the demonstrations.
The cabinet on Tuesday 15 February approved the ORST report.
The new official name, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, will not come into effect until it is vetted by a committee in charge of scrutinising all draft bills. The cabinet also asked the panel to take into consideration additional observations from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The draft announcement also revokes the Prime Minister’s announcement on names of countries, territories, administrative zones and capitals dated Nov 9, 2001.
*** Assuming completion of the vetting process by the scrutinising committee, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon will become the official name of the Kingdom of Thailand’s capital. However, the name Bangkok will be put in parentheses.
In the same announcement, the ORST also updated the official spelling for other countries, including Rome and Roma for Italy’s capital, the change of Myanmar’s capital from Yangon to Nay Pyi Taw and the change of the Kingdom of Nepal to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.
Government deputy spokeswoman Ratchda Dhanadirek said that nothing had been changed in the naming of the capital.
The Thai name Krung Thep Maha Nakhon would be used only as its official name. The name Bangkok would still be recognised in parenthesis, she explained on her Facebook page.
On its Facebook page, the Office of the Royal Society also posted a message that both names could be used, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and Bangkok, after its announcement on the name change drew public criticism.
Bangkok has been in use officially since November 2001 under an Office of the Royal Society announcement. It came from an old area of Bangkok, which is now a part of the greater metropolitan area of the capital, Bangkok Noi and Bangkok Yai districts. Historically, it has been in common use for a long time.
