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BANGKOK: A plaque placed by Thai protesters near the Grand Palace in Bangkok declaring that Thailand belongs to the people and not to the king has been removed, as police warned on Monday (September 21) that those responsible for the symbolic gesture could be indicted .
The plaque was placed on Sunday after a weekend rally by tens of thousands of people who applauded King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s calls to reform the monarchy.
“I received a report that the plaque disappeared, but I don’t know how or who did it,” Bangkok Deputy Chief of Police Piya Tawichai told Reuters.
“The police are consulting with the BMA (Bangkok Metropolitan Administration) and checking who took it out, as the plaque is part of the evidence to charge the protest group (for this crime),” Piya said.
The plaque is displayed during a mass demonstration calling for the removal of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and reforms in the monarchy, near the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, on September 20, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS / Jorge Silva )
In the largest demonstration in Thailand in years, protesters applauded calls for reform of the monarchy, as well as the removal of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, a former military leader, and a new constitution and elections.
After the protest, people lined up to take photos next to the plaque, which also shows a hand doing the three-finger salute adopted by pro-democracy protesters.
But far from all Thais support the new plaque, which resembles one that had commemorated the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932 and which was removed from the exterior of a royal palace in 2017, after King Vajiralongkorn assumed the throne.
Prominent right-wing politician Warong Dechgitvigrom said on Sunday the plaque was inappropriate and the king was above politics.
“It achieved nothing,” he told Reuters. “These actions are symbolically against the king, but the king is not an opponent.”
Craig Kunakorn, 33, a barber who had been at the protests came to visit the spot where the plaque had been cemented into the ground on Monday.
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“Everyone knew it would be gone soon, but the success of its creation is something that will continue. It remains an important symbol,” Craig said.
Anon Nampa, a human rights lawyer and activist, told Reuters that the plaque should be returned to the people.
“We are going to file a complaint with the police today to find that plaque that belongs to the people and who took it,” said Anon, a leading figure in the freely organized protest movement.
The protesters have grown bolder and bolder during two months of demonstrations against Thailand’s palace and the army-dominated establishment, breaking a long-standing taboo on criticizing the monarchy, which is illegal under lese majesty laws.
Protesters say the constitution gives the king too much power and was designed to allow Prayut to retain power after last year’s elections. He says the vote was fair.
The next protest is scheduled for Thursday. The protest leaders also asked Thais to take time off work on October 14 to show their support for change.
