It’s still Bangkok: Thailand ends confusion over capital’s name change

After some confusion, Thailand’s Royal Society issued a clarification that the capital’s name is to remain as Bangkok (Sakchai Lalit/AP)

English speakers will not have to start calling the Thai capital by its local name, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, rather than the more familiar “Bangkok”, Thailand’s Royal Society has said.

The organisation, which is responsible for academic and linguistic standards, made the announcement after a seemingly innocuous change in punctuation in official guidance sparked a flurry of speculation that the city’s name was being changed.