FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Drop hunt for plaque, junta tells activists

Drop hunt for plaque, junta tells activists

BMA cameras were out of action when historic marker may have gone missing; police refuse to investigate the case.

THE JUNTA yesterday urged pro-democracy activists to end their mission to find the historic plaque that disappeared from the Royal Plaza days ago, asking them to cooperate in the interests of national reconciliation. 
“Now the country is moving forward as the new Constitution has already come into force. Things that could create chaos and disorder in the Kingdom should be stopped. We ask for cooperation from all factions in the interest of reconciliation,” junta spokesman Piyaphong Klinphan said.
The Pandora’s box was opened last week when people shared on social media that the 1932 revolution plaque was replaced by a new one, with different wordings that did not refer to the historic event. 
A group of activists and students yesterday filed a complaint with police at Dusit Police Station over the missing plaque and later asked the Bangkok Metropolitan Administra-tion (BMA) to scour footage of surveillance cameras in the area. 
All 11 cameras installed on traffic light poles in front of the Royal Plaza had been removed for maintenance on March 31, secretary to the Bangkok governor, Yutthapan Meechai, said.
Apisit Sapnapapan, an activist who launched a campaign to find the original plaque, suspected the historic marker might have been replaced some time between April 2 to April 8 based on oral and photo evidence.
If no footage of that period is available, Apisit doubted whether his campaign would be successful.

Drop hunt for plaque, junta tells activists
The disappearance of the plaque ignited a big dispute in Thailand between pro-democracy citizens and the state authority and royalists.
The plaque was fixed on the grounds of the Royal Plaza in 1936 on the spot where People’s Party leader Phraya Phahonphonphayuhasena stood to announce the end of absolute monarchy, paving the way for a constitutional monarchy.
While the activists wanted the authority to conduct an investigation to find the missing plaque and prosecute those who had replaced it, police and government officials argued that they did not own it, and the plaque had no historic value to necessitate an investigation or prosecution.
The Fine Arts Department said on its Facebook page that the missing plaque does not qualify as an antique as defined by the Ancient Monuments, Antiques, Objects of Art and National Museums Act as the plaque merely marked a spot where a revolutionary declaration was made.
Royal Thai Police refused to accept the case, saying there was no legal grounds to prosecute anybody, although Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said all citizens had the right to file a complaint over the missing historic plaque and ask police to conduct an investigation.
According to criminal procedure, a victim or sufferer could lodge a complaint with police for any loss of personal property while any “good citizen” could file a complaint for the loss of public property, said Wissanu, who is a legal expert. 
Deputy national police chief Pol General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said the legal meaning of the two technical terms – complaint and accusation – are different. Anybody could seek a police investigation into an accusation when there are some grounds to a case, but only the victim could file a complaint with police and ask for charges against somebody who had caused the suffering, he said. 
Since no state agency had claimed ownership of the plaque, the police could not proceed with the case in accordance with the law, he said. 
Activists argued that the plaque was built and installed more than 80 years ago and had been recognised by successive governments, therefore it was deemed to be an historic object and a national treasure. There is no reason for police to reject the case. 
Before Apisit’s group, student activists and an heir to a member of the People’s Party, known in Thai as Khana Ratsadorn, had also filed a similar complaint on Sunday to consider the disappearance as a theft.
“Still, we hope that our actions would encourage society and the media to continue with this fact-finding mission,” Nattaa Mahattana, another activist, said. “To keep filing complaints with the police is one way to make them look into the case. Also, I wish all officers would be honest in performing their duties.”
Far from taking up the case, government agencies warned of legal action against any movement or any comments over the plaque’s disappearance.
Police said they would file a complaint against former Pheu Thai MP, Watana Muangsook, for computer crime over his recent posts about the missing plaque, Srivara said yesterday.
Srivara said Watana’s posts could be misleading, as they urged the public to step out and help reclaim the plaque. He said this could also be deemed an attempt to instigate unrest, equivalent to sedition.
Activist Srisuwan Janya vowed to continue his campaign to seek an investigation into the disappearance of the historic plaque after being detained for 12 hours by the military.

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