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Tongdaeng (also spelled Thong Daeng, Thai: ทองแดง, lit. "copper"; 7 November 1998 – 26 December 2015), was a female copper-colored mixed breed dog and one of the pets owned by King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.
Life
The king adopted Tongdaeng in lated 1998 from the litter of a stray dog that had been taken in by a medical center he had recently dedicated his name to. Tongdaeng was nursed by Mae Mali (lit. Mother Jasmine), a former stray who was adopted by the king before.[1]
King Bhumibol called her "a common dog who is uncommon", and in 2002 wrote an affectionate biography of her titled "The Story of Tongdaeng (เรื่อง ทองแดง)". The 84-page book, published in both Thai and English, quickly sold out of its first edition of 100,000 in Thailand.[1] Since demand was so high, the book became an esteemed gift,[2] and was reprinted many times. It is also commonly referred to as a parable on many social topics.
In the book, the king wrote that "Tongdaeng is a respectful dog with proper manners; she is humble and knows protocol. She would always sit lower than the King; even when he pulls her up to embrace her, Tongdaeng would lower herself down on the floor, her ears in a respectful drooping position, as if she would say, 'I don't dare.'"[3]
A commemorative block of four postage stamps featuring Tongdaeng was issued by Thailand Post in 2006.[4]
Tongdaeng died on 26 December 2015. A statue of her was created for the Royal Crematorium of King Bhumibol.
Protection by lèse majesté law
Thanakorn Siripaiboon, a 27-year-old factory worker,[5] was charged in 2015 with insulting the King through a "sarcastic" post about Tongdaeng on Facebook under the lèse majesté law in Thailand.[6] His lawyer, Anon Nampa, informed the International New York Times that the charge "had not detailed the precise insult towards the animal".[7] The Bangkok-based printer of the International New York Times removed the story from the 14 December 2015 print edition of the paper, just 12 days before Tongdaeng's death.[7] He was released on bond after spending 90 days in prison. If convicted, Thanakorn could have faced up to a maximum of 37 years in prison.[3] His current location and the status of his case are unknown as of June 2018.
According to the BBC, a prosecutor said Thanakorn had posted several photos of the dog on Facebook in a manner which appeared to mock the King, and in addition had been charged with posting the "like" button next to a doctored photo of the Thai monarch, which had been posted by another Facebook user.[5] The case was eventually dropped.[citation needed]
In media
A film based on Tongdaeng's biography, Khun Tongdaeng: The Inspirations (คุณทองแดงดิอินสไปเรชันส์), was released in November 2015.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b *Seth Mydans, For Dogged Devotion to Etiquette, a Kingly Tribute, International Herald Tribune, 26 December 2002. Accessed 30 December 2015.
- ^ Campbell, Charlie (November 4, 2015). "See Portraits of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej Displayed All Over Bangkok". Time. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ^ a b "Dissing the king's dog is a crime in Thailand". The Economist. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ^ Ho, Victoria (December 29, 2015). "Royal Thai dog at center of defamation case passes away". Mashable. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ^ a b Head, Jonathan (December 16, 2015). "Defaming a dog: The ways to get arrested for lese-majeste in Thailand". BBC. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
- ^ Bhutia, Jigmey. "Thai man faces 37 years jail for 'insulting' King Bhumibol Adulyadej through his dog". ibtimes.co.uk. International Business Times. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ a b Holmes, Oliver. "Thai man faces jail for insulting king's dog with 'sarcastic' internet post". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ Panya, Duangkamol. "Who let the dogs out?". bangkokpost.com. Bangkok Post. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
Further reading
- Bhumibol Adulyadej. The Story of Tongdaeng. Amarin, Bangkok. 2004. ISBN 974-272-917-4
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