Luang Pu Tho, Paper Banknote Amulet

The year 1996  appears on the 500 and 1000 Baht banknotes. At first, it was assumed to be related to the Golden Jubilee of Rama IX (who is also depicted on all three banknotes), but could also be as quoted by Wikipedia:
"Laotian historians have long questioned the historical accuracy of the portrayal of Thao Suranari's role prevalent in Thailand. However, in 1995, Saipin Kaewngamprasert, a Thai history student at Thammasat University, wrote her master's thesis entitled 'The Images of Thao Suranari in Thai History' (later published as a book titled 'The Politics of the Thao Suranari Monument'). In it, she critically examined the heroization of the figure.

According to her account, the nationalist ideologues of the 1930s transformed a mere local heroine into a national cult figure." The historically insignificant figure was chosen and glorified for political reasons. According to Saipin, the political exigencies following the People's Party's rise to power and the suppression of the royalist Boworadet Rebellion in October 1934 shaped the historical portrayal of Thao Suranari's role in suppressing Jao ​​Anouvong's Laotian uprising of 1826. The political calculation behind the erection of the monument and the promotion of the Suranari cult was to secure the loyalty of the people of Korat.

Thai nationalists and Korat residents who revered Thao Suranari reacted angrily. Many were misinformed and believed that Saipin had claimed Thao Suranari had never existed. In March 1996, a protest march of 50,000 people took place in Korat. Ultimately, the book was banned in Thailand.