Why are people debating on Witthayu Road’s English name?

Watch Why are people debating on Witthayu Road’s English name? - The Nation Thailand on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00I'm here now on Thanon Vithiyu or Wallace Road. People often debate why its English name is

00:05Wallace Road rather than Radio Road. So let's find out. The name Wallace Road still sparked

00:11heated debates among Thai netizens even though the road was established over 50 years ago.

00:16Some argue that it should be called Radio Road even calling authorities to have the name changed.

00:22But the fact is just that in old-fashioned English, the word Wallace also referred to

00:26radio technology. Created in 1972, Thanon Vithiyu was named after the nearby Saradang

00:33station, one of Thailand's first radio transmitter stations. Some theories suggest

00:38that the station used a machine known at that time as Wallace Telegraphy, which is why the

00:43road received the name Wallace Road. To settle these ongoing debates, the street's name was

00:48later written in both Thai and English. Regardless of its name, Wallace Road remains an important

00:55area in Bangkok, home to embassies and shopping malls.