Bank Leicester's tough life ended after being hired to drink

Thanakarn Kanthi, 27, also known as "Bank Leicester," was a well-known influencer admired for his hardworking nature. He gained fame through rapping while selling garlands to support his grandmother. Recently, he was often hired to consume unusual items for entertainment.

He passed away at 3.40 am on Thursday, with the suspected cause being his participation in a challenge where he was hired to drink an entire bottle of liquor in exchange for 30,000 baht.

Upon learning of the incident, reporters visited Thanakarn's home in Sai Mai District, Bangkok. The house, which he purchased for his 80-year-old grandmother, Lek, was meant to provide her with a place to live.

Grandmother Lek shared that she had raised Thanakarn since he was a child. She supported his education after his parents separated and left him in her care. He was always very devoted and took care of her as he grew older. 

"Currently, I live in this house with my son and Thanakarn, just the three of us. Thanakarn took care of everything for me. Now that he's gone, I have no idea how I will continue to manage," Grandma Lek said.

With tears in her eyes, Grandma Lek recounted that Thanakarn had been away from home for 3-4 days, telling her he was going to work and would earn the 60,000 baht needed to pay off the overdue house payments. He promised to return home that day and, before leaving, said, "I'm going to work to earn money for Grandma." He also mentioned that once he returned, he would resume selling garlands.

She had no idea he would resort to such a method to earn the money. Her grandson must have done whatever he could to fulfill his promise.

Grandma Lek shared that every time Thanakarn went out to work, she worried about him and prayed to the guardian spirits for his protection. Each night, she would bless him before going to bed. Thanakarn was hardworking, the family's pillar, and always cared for her.

She added that Thanakarn’s garland sales would sometimes be successful, and sometimes not. He typically started selling at 9pm and returned home around 1am Whenever he came back, he would always bring her food and insist that she finish eating it.

The Facebook page "Gun Jompalang Helps Fight" shared a message after speaking with Thanakarn's grandmother, stating: "Just now, Thanakarn's grandmother told me she won’t eat and that it might be better if she followed Thanakarn in death. It brought me to tears. She recounted how Thanakarn had promised to come see her today. She never imagined he would return in this condition."

The post continued: "For New Year’s, Thanakarn had promised his grandmother he would earn 2,000 baht to take her out for a New Year’s trip. But he didn’t make it to New Year’s."

Gun Jompalang extended his assistance to the family by promptly arranging the transport of Thanakarn's body from Chanthaburi to a temple in Bangkok, as per the grandmother's wishes. He also took full responsibility for all the expenses involved.

Ekaphop Luangprasert, the founder of the Sai Mai Must Survive page, who also stepped in to assist the family, stated that the person who made Thanakarn drink the liquor was extremely cruel. He took advantage of Thanakarn's poverty by hiring him to eat and drink things others wouldn’t, forcing him to do so to earn money to pay off the house and care for his elderly grandmother.

"You must have known that the bottle of liquor, something even you couldn't finish, was dangerous for him. He was just a young man. You had to realize that finishing it could lead to his death. I believe the person who forced him to drink might face legal consequences for negligent actions leading to death.

As for the grandmother, we will all help take care of her. From now on, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and the Sai Mai District Office will also provide assistance," he said.

Following the incident, Chanthaburi police brought in Ekachart, a prominent content creator specializing in racing and the son of the event host for the shop opening and birthday party, for questioning. He told reporters that there was no hiring of Thanakarn to drink the liquor in any way.

He said that Thanakarn attended the event on his own and was not hired to drink. Previously, Thanakarn had already finished one bottle of liquor before vomiting. When he drank more, many people tried to stop him, but he refused. Later, someone came to inform him that Thanakarn's condition was worsening, so he instructed them to take him to the hospital.

As for the video where people saw him laughing, it was filmed before the incident. Ekachart explained that he gave Thanakarn money because he felt sorry for him, as he saw that Thanakarn was struggling. Now, his mother is very upset because the event was organized by her.

Tong, an associate of Ekachart, shared that before the incident, Ekachart had instructed him to watch over Thanakarn because he was very drunk, worried he might fall and hit his head. Tong had been taking care of Thanakarn throughout the evening, and when he noticed Thanakarn's nails turning blue, he informed Ekachart. Afterward, they tried to contact the police and rescue services but couldn't get through, so he took Thanakarn to the hospital.

Bird, who attended the event with Thanakarn, also denied any hiring arrangement but admitted that money may have been given. He expressed that he never wanted something like this to happen and feels deeply sorry.