Thai influencer’s death sparks warning against guzzling booze

Well-known doctor Pakpoom Dechhasdin, aka “More Lab Panda”, has cautioned against the dangers of consuming large amounts of liquor quickly, following the death of 27-year-old Thai influencer Thanakarn “Bank Leicester” Kanthee. 

According to Pakpoom’s Facebook post on Thursday, Thanakarn died at around 3.40am after he had been paid 30,000 baht to drink alcohol rapidly. While expressing his condolences, Pakpoom said that the consumption of alcohol rapidly poses several risks, including acute alcohol poisoning. 

“Drinking quickly increases blood alcohol levels rapidly, triggering the risk of choking, vomiting, suffocation, respiratory arrest and unconsciousness,” he said.

He noted that a reading of 100 milligrams of alcohol per 100 mililitres of blood, which translates to 12 glasses of booze, can affect people’s movement. Consuming more than that can result in confusion and drowsiness. If the reading is more than 400mg per decilitre, then people can die, he added. 

Thanakarn recently became famous among netizens for rapping while selling garlands to take care of his grandmother. However, Pakpoom said, the young man recently began taking on strange dares in exchange for money. 

Meanwhile, the owner of the agricultural supplies store in Chanthaburi’s Tha Mai district has denied hiring the influencer to guzzle booze for 30,000 baht in cash. He told a NationTV reporter that Thanakarn was not invited to join a party celebrating the store’s opening and the owner’s birthday, even though he knew Thanakarn personally and the influencer had visited his home frequently.

The store owner said Thanakarn and his friend showed up at his store unannounced at noon on Wednesday, adding that they had driven a motorbike from Samut Prakan to Chanthaburi.

Police initially believed that the influencer had died from a cardiac arrest, but have decided to wait for autopsy results before confirming the cause of death. 

Separately, Thanakarn’s last Facebook post before his death, saying that humility is crucial for friendships, has won more than 6,100 likes, 1,500 comments and 1,600 shares as of press time.