Becoming a father of a daughter is a great responsibility. And Arnon Rodthong experienced a hard time when his daughter grew up and became older.
The millionaire from Thailand is a durian tycoon. As a successful businessman, finance is not a problem. For him however, it's his daughter, Kansita Rodthong, who is already an adult but has yet to find a husband.
Rodthong who was 58-year-old at the time, used Facebook to deliver an announcement, where he invited men to apply for his daughter's hands in marriage.
Interested applicants with age between 26 – 40 years old may come visit him at his Durian shop at the Neon Sung Market in Chanthaburi Thi Mai district, and then work for him at his durian plantations for at least three months.
"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," Arnon wrote.
The man "doesn’t have to be that smart, they just have to be able to read and write (please don’t bring your degrees to cluster the house), Hardworking and not lazy, and stingy about money and loves durian," wrote Rodthong in his Facebook post.
He also wanted his future son-in-law who is not a drug user or a gambler.
"I want a diligent man. I just want someone with a hard-working attitude. That’s all," the father insisted.
The contest quickly garnered the public interest, not only because it's rare for a millionaire father to use social media network to look for his daughter's future-husband, but also because due to the amount the father would do, and give to his future son-in-law.
As a start, Rodthong said that he was going to give the winner ฿10 million (S$425,300) in cash, 10 vehicles, and a house.
And not just that, as Rodthong was also planning to give his entire durian empire to the chosen man.
"At 26, 27, she’s getting old. It takes so much time to wait for men to come to her. I also want to give an opportunity to good, hard-working men who don’t have a high education like me. I only graduated from fourth grade," Arnon said to local reporters.
In just a few hours, more than 10,000 men from all over Thailand and beyond applied to participate.
The top contender, was a 28-year-old by the name of Premyosapon Khongsai. His application that was in the form of a Facebook comment, received more than 14,000 Likes.
"I'm interested. I am 28 years old. My family also grows durian in Trat province. We have over 300 trees... I can weather the sun and rain. I can drive a 10-wheel truck and tractor. Please consider me, father Arnon. Thank you," Khongsai wrote on Facebook with a photo of himself.
According to reports, the daughter expressed her interest in Khongsai, and she even said that he is "pretty cute."
The contest however, ended not long before things properly start.
Arnon deleted the Facebook post, and went on to ask people to stop sending his messages and inquiries.
Arnon reconsidered his thoughts on using the social media network to find a match for his daughter because of the amount of men applying has been overwhelming.
"Interested son-in-laws, please stop calling me. I’m dying because my phone has been ringing off the hook for 24 hours. Let me rest and sleep," the millionaire father said.
And as for Khongsai, the man is found to be "too handsome" for the father, and that he his scared that Khongsai would some day hurt his daughter's feelings.
Rodthong rejected his application when he cancelled the entire tournament.
"Premyosapon doesn’t pass for me because he is too handsome. He might break my daughter’s heart," Rodthong said.
Kansita on the other hand, was quite amused by her father, and the attention she received.
She said that she was surprised seeing how far her father would go to help her find a husband.
"I first found out about my father’s post when my friend’s showed me. I was surprised but I can see the funny side to it, too," she said. "It is true that I am still single. If I have to get married with someone, I only want him to be a diligent and good person who loves his family."
While she said that her father is in charge of her life, it should be up to her to decide who her husband should be.
"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," she said in an interview. "I don’t have a type. I just want a good man."
Kansita who is fluent in both English and Chinese, said that she is a virgin, and only had one relationship with a man before.
"I’ve only had one boyfriend in my entire life when I was around 22-23. He was Chinese, we were together for about two years," she said. "I’ve mostly been broken-hearted in my love life from secretly crushing on people."
Rodthong is a businessman known for his durian empire, which ships about 50 tons of the smelly fruit every single day.
His business is considered the largest in the region.
The incident was also unique, mainly because in many parts of Thailand, the local custom dictates that a man is supposed to pay a dowry for his future wife.
A university-educated woman like Karnsita Rodthong, who is also the daughter of a millionaire, would definitely have a high dowry.