Soon, it will no longer be necessary to say Bangkok to speak of this great metropolis of more than 10 million inhabitants, capital of Thailand. It will be necessary to say Krung Thep Maha Nakhon. And again, this is only the abbreviation of the future official name. The full name of the city is 163 characters long, not far from three lines, which is absolutely endless: Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop
Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit.
Here is the translation of this full name: “City of angels, great city of immortals, of the emerald Buddha and of the God Indra, great capital of the nine precious stones, happy city, abode of the incarnate Gods, built by Vishnukarn and dedicated to Indra .” All this makes it, by far, the longest place name in the world, according to the Book of Records. But obviously, it’s less convenient to say than “Bangkok”. The Thai authorities therefore propose that foreigners can continue to say Bangkok. The stakes are high, since it is one of the five most visited cities in the world. On the other hand, the 70 million Thais are supposed to say at least the new “short” formula, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon. The name change, defended by the Ministry of Culture, must still be approved by the government, but it will undoubtedly be a formality.
It’s not just anecdotal and Book of Records history. On social media in Thailand, many see it as yet another clue to the ongoing business of strengthening the monarchy and the military. The new name of the city, Krung Thep, is in fact very old and often used colloquially by the Thais: it dates from the end of the 18th century, when the Ayutthaya dynasty gave way to the kingdom of Thonburi and its Taksin generals, then Chakri. The capital is then transferred and becomes Krung Thep. The name Bangkok will come later, it is in fact that of one of the districts of Krung Thep.
Today, this “backtracking”, which is causing controversy on social networks there, does not happen by chance. It occurs as the Thai monarchy hardens. After a lively protest in the streets a year and a half ago, repression has taken hold. Nearly 200 people have been charged under the law which prohibits insults to royalty. This legislation on lèse-majesté crimes is highly contested by the opposition parties but last November, the Constitutional Court confirmed this text, considering it a pillar of the country’s constitutional monarchy. We can therefore see in this change of name a scent of nostalgia for past dynasties.
For the record, in terms of very long surnames, the capital of Thailand crushes the prices and there are many long and complex names in Thailand. Another country with complex place names is New Zealand, where places have Maori names. Closer to home, in Europe, the champion of complicated names is Wales. For example, there is a small town whose name has 58 characters: “Lllanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwilllantysiliogogogoch”. It is in North Wales, roughly opposite Dublin in Ireland. In France, the record is a village south of Reims: Saint-Rémy-en-Bouzemont-Saint-Genest-et-Isson, 45 characters, much less than the name of the Thai capital with its 163 characters.