Young Thai influencer dies after alcohol drinking challenge
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Young Thai influencer dies after alcohol drinking challenge

‘Bank Leicester’ known for accepting dares to earn money for his family

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Online content creator Thanakarn “Bank Leicester” Kanthee, seen above in a photo taken on Dec 15, once wrote that he was willing to accept “scraps of money from rich people” to help his poor family. (Photo: Facebook page of แบงค์ เลสเตอร์)
Online content creator Thanakarn “Bank Leicester” Kanthee, seen above in a photo taken on Dec 15, once wrote that he was willing to accept “scraps of money from rich people” to help his poor family. (Photo: Facebook page of แบงค์ เลสเตอร์)

A young Thai social media influencer has died soon after being hired for 30,000 baht to guzzle a 350ml bottle of whisky.

Thanakarn Kanthee, aka “Bank Leicester”, 21, was pronounced dead at a hospital at 3.40am on Thursday.

A garland seller who performed improvised rap songs to attract buyers, he had been seen in several videos accepting paid challenges to drink alcohol rapidly in exchange for money.

A video showing Thanakarn drinking quickly and straight from a small whisky bottle amid a cheering crowd at a party has been widely circulated on the internet. Some partygoers were seen filming him on mobile phones.

After completing the paid challenge, Thanakarn looked sick and reportedly vomited before he was taken to hospital where he died later.

One Facebook page showed some partygoers laughing as rescuers rushed Thanakarn to an ambulance on a stretcher. Commenters slammed them for their lack of sympathy.

The influencer had been raised by his grandmother in a Bangkok slum after his parents separated when he was two months old. At the age of seven, he started selling garlands at the Liab Duan flea market on Ram Intra road to provide for himself and his grandmother.

After his death, many netizens condemned the deadly challenge as “rubbish content” and called on internet users to stop posting such content.

While some expressed concern for the well-being of his grandmother, some sadly recalled one of Thanakarn’s social media posts that read: “I am willing to be bullied and insulted to just get scraps of money from the rich people in order to provide for my family.”

Social media activist Guntouch Pongpaiboonwet, alias Gun Jompalang, has offered to advocate for Thanakarn’s family if they want to hold someone responsible for his death.

“People were quick to make content and have fun with it, but when it came to taking responsibility, not a single soul dared step up,” Mr Guntouch said.

“Please help send my message to his family that if they want to take action against those people (who hired Thanakarn), just let me know. I’m willing to help.”

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