Victoria statue belongs to British community
In 1903 an impressive bronze statue of Queen Victoria, inscribed on the plinth with the words, “Erected in loving memory by her subjects in Siam” was erected in the street in front of the British Legation in Charoen Krung Road. The statue had been commissioned by the British community in Bangkok, using funds raised amongst themselves through public subscription.
In the early 1920s when the legation, later to become the British Embassy, moved to Wireless Road, the queen’s statue was moved to within the embassy grounds in front of the ambassador’s residence. When the front part of the Wireless Road site was sold to developers in 2007, the statue was moved to the gardens behind the ambassador’s residence.
Now the British government has sold the residual portion of the historic Wireless Road site to developers and will move into an office block in Sathorn Road later this year. While this move is regrettable, it seems entirely in keeping with Britain’s diminished significance in the world, which is set to diminish even further with Brexit.
However, the embassy’s decision to leave the statue of Queen Victoria behind for the developers to incorporate into a Queen Victoria theme courtyard for their new shopping mall is utterly disgraceful and indefensible.
Technically the statue is not the property of the British government to sell or give away as it pleases. It was paid for by the British community in Bangkok and should rightfully be deemed the property of the current British community. To this effect, it is well-known that the British Club has generously offered to relocate the statue to the club’s grounds, where it can be looked after and enjoyed by the British community for many generations to come.
In the cut-throat world of retail malls, we all know that no theme can last indefinitely and that new ideas and constant refurbishment are essential to remain competitive. Therefore, it is inevitable that, despite whatever unenforceable assurances may be given today, the shopping mall proprietors will, in the fullness of time, tire of the Queen Victoria theme courtyard, and melt down the statue to be sold for scrap in favour of a more modern theme and in expectation of greater profits.
Fortunately, it is still not too late for the embassy to do the right thing and restore the statue to its rightful owners, the British community in Bangkok.
George Morgan
Bangkok
