It was a rocky 2016 for Thailand and the world. With the loss of the country’s prominent figure, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, locals and expats alike plunged into mourning as his era became history.
On a lighter note, however, Thailand also celebrated many events, from the long-awaited fall of Bangkok’s governor to the closure of the Tiger Temple. Not to mention our Badminton star rose to the top this year.
Being a digital media outlet, we can’t leave out the biggest social media trends of the year either. From selfies with Look Thep dolls to the farang YouTuber who pretty much ended his career by mocking how Thai people don’t speak English, we’ll recap it all.
Here are our picks for the biggest news of 2016, in chronological order:
1. The worship of Look Thep (January)
The haunted doll worship phenomenon must have been the craziest trend in Thailand this decade as superstitious adults were seen carrying around dolls and raising them as their children. The dolls were believed to bring good fortune to those who owned them. The trend went above and beyond that when Thai Smile airline released a promotion for doll passengers and restaurants turned the tables by charging dolls for food.
When the trend ran its course, many people dumped their Look Thep dolls at temples. Maybe they didn’t get rich after all?
2. Passing of TV star Por Thridsadee (January 18)
Actor Thridsadee “Por” Sahawong died at just 37 years old after spending two months battling against complications that developed from the dengue virus. The actor was loved and widely praised for his performances and friendly personality. He passed away on Jan. 18, at Ramathibodi Hospital.
3. Marriage of former porn legend “Nong Nat” (March)
It became public in March of 2016 that “Nong Nat,” the biggest porn star Thailand has ever known, got married to lucky American Harold Nesland, who’s much, much older than her.
Kejsarin Chaichalermphol, now 31, rose to fame in the 2000s, when her adult videos became national news as police seized illegal pornography videos and noticed one woman was in a lot of them.
Nong Nat has recently returned to the media spotlight, this time in a role of caring wife. She previously admitted she was afraid of giving Harold a heart attack during sex.
4. Ratchanok Intanon as world’s no. 1 female badminton player (April 21)
Badminton star Ratchanok Intanon became the world’s number one female badminton player after a win over China’s Sun Yu in the Singapore Open final on April 18. She is the first player from Thailand who topped the badminton ranks.
5. The closure of Tiger Temple (May)
After years of alleged illegal breeding for profit and exploitation of wildlife, Kanchanaburi’s Tiger Temple finally closed in late May as officials revoked its zoo license and removed all 147 tigers from the notorious “temple.”
During the raid, officials found at least 40 dead tiger cubs, tiger pelts, and over a thousand of amulets made from tiger fangs and skin.
READ: Coconuts’ exclusive interview with Gary Agnew, former volunteer at the Tiger Temple.
6. Mahanakhon, Thailand’s new tallest building (August 29)
MahaNakhon stole the title of Thailand’s tallest skyscraper from Baiyoke II when it celebrated its 315 meter height with a majestic light show on Aug. 29.
Located in Silom, the 77-storey building holds such illustrious tenants as the Ritz-Carlton condominium, Bangkok EDITION Hotel, Dean & Deluca’s Thailand flagship store, VOGUE Lounge and internationally-recognized restaurants L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and Morimoto.
7. The passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (October 13)
In the greatest loss of the century, King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away at 88 at Siriraj Hospital on Oct. 13. He was the world’s longest-reigning monarch and the father figure of Thailand.
Overnight, Thais united as they mourned the late HM the king’s death. Millions traveled from all regions to the Grand Palace where his body lies. Joyful activities were prohibited for 30 days as the country remained in grief.
The late King Bhumibol Adulyadej ascended the throne in 1946. He was seen as a prominent figure who guided Thailand through decades of political turmoil and economic downturn.
His son, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, officially became Thailand’s new king on Dec. 1, after the 30-day mourning period had ended.
8. Sukhumbhand getting sacked (October 18)
Sorry, Sukhumbhand. You just got 44’d.
On Oct. 18, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha used Article 44 to fire Bangkok’s Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra after he had been suspended since August over an allegation of corruption. The governor job went to Pol. Gen. Aswin Kwanmuang.
Among the famous projects of Sukhumbhand were the THB40 million New Year’s light show, a flashy THB16 million office redecoration, and a giant tunnel that didn’t really fix the flooding problem.
Check out our compilation of the best moments of Sukhumbhand here.
9. “Kowtow to my car!” (Nov. 6)
Grammy actor Acharanat “Nott” Ariyaritwikol ended his career and popularity in one minute when he forced a hit-and-run motorcyclist to “kowtow” to his Mini Cooper and punched the guy in the face.
It happened that someone had filmed the whole incident, and the video became the talk of the town and pushed Grammy to fire Nott from all of his jobs.
The actor then, of course, became a meme.
10. My Mate Nate becoming the most hated expat alive (November)
When a man goes to another country and makes fun of the locals for not speaking his mother tongue…let’s say things usually don’t end well.
American missionary-turned-YouTuber Nate Bartling became the most hated expat on social media when his prank video against Thai people went incredibly wrong.
While he’s famous among Thais for pulling pranks against locals, this time he went too far when he made a universally hated video mocking how Thai people don’t speak English well. He ended the video with a sales of an English-language course.
To add insult to injury, it was later revealed that he had edited people out of the video that spoke English well in order to make Thai citizens appear stupid.
Nice try, mate.
11. The approval of Computer Crime Act amendment (December 16)
Despite public outcry, the Computer Crime Act amendment passed unanimously in a vote by the National Legislative Assembly.
The new law is viewed by rights group as a risk to people’s online security and an encouragement of censorship.
As of now, opponent groups have taken to digital attacks on government websites, successfully damaging and disabling more than one of them.
This story is sure to develop more as 2017 begins.
READ: New computer crime laws would give government control of internet
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