PETALING JAYA, March 6 — Thai durian trader Anont Rotthong has been hounded day and night ever since he offered a bountiful prize for any man who could win his daughter’s heart.
The 58-year-old has now decided to host a "tournament" beginning on April 1 where interested suitors will gather to roll up their sleeves and get to work at Anont’s durian plantation.
In a Facebook post that went up yesterday, Anont outlined the details of the unusual competition.
“Bring lots of clothes, you will be working for three months. If more than two suitors remain after that, you’ll work for three more months until only one man is left. That’s the partner I want for my daughter,” he wrote according to a translation by Coconuts Bangkok.
According to interviews with Thai media, Anont stated that he will not be paying the men for any of their work during the competition period, which has led to accusations of him finding sneaky ways to procure free labour.
Anont has been riding the social media storm ever since he publicly advertised his daughter's hand in marriage but admitted that the ordeal has been preventing him from even getting a good night's sleep.
“Interested sons-in-law, please stop calling me. I’m dying because my phone has been ringing off the hook for 24 hours a day. Let me rest and sleep,” he wrote on Facebook.
Another post made by the durian kingpin claims that over 10,000 men have expressed interest in vying for the affections of his daughter Kansita Rotthong.
In an interview with Channel 3, the 26-year-old said she was initially amused by her father’s actions but that it stopped being funny after his posts went viral.
She emphasised that she ultimately has the final say in choosing the lucky bachelor once the dust has settled.
“At the end, it’ll be up to me. Dad just wants to help do a preliminary scanning but I will ultimately choose my partner because the most important thing is whether we actually get along,” Kansita said in the interview based on Coconuts Bangkok’s translation.
Her father has promised 10 million baht (RM1.2 million), 10 pickup trucks, a house, and the chance to be the new boss of his booming durian business to any man who can successfully prove his worth as a husband.
Anont’s offering has attracted a barrage of thorny criticisms from social media users who say that the suitors who contact him will only be interested in his wealth and not his daughter.
