A plaque of people that was dug into the ground by Thai protesters calling for reforms in the nation's monarchical structure, is now missing.
Protest leaders installed the plaque near the Grand Palace after Sunday’s rally that drew tens of thousands of people to the streets of the capital Bangkok, with demands for reforms in the monarchy and the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who came to power in a coup six years ago.
The golden-colored plaque, featuring a hand giving the three-fingered salute that has been adopted by the protest movement, declared that Thailand belongs to the people rather than the king.
But the plaque went missing overnight after the area was closed to the public.
Police say they have no information about the circumstances under which the plaque was removed, but that the move was illegal because of a lack of official permission to authorize the installation.
Bangkok’s deputy police chief, Piya Tawichai, said Monday, "I've received a report that the plaque is gone but I don't know how and I don't know who did it.”
"Police are checking 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 wrongdoing]," he added.
At the end of Sunday’s rally, people queued up to take pictures next to the plaque.
Right-wing politician Warong Dechgitvigrom described the plaque as inappropriate, saying that the king was above politics.
"It didn't achieve anything," he said. "These actions are symbolically against the king, but the king is not an opponent."
The protesters are critical of the constitution for giving the king excessive power, also claiming that it was engineered to allow the prime minister to keep power after elections last year.
Another demonstration is scheduled for Thursday.
Protest leaders have also called for a general strike on October 14.
The protesters are now demanding that the plaque be returned to the people.
"We will go and file a complaint to police today to find that plaque, which is the people's property and who took it," Anon Nampa, an activist and human rights lawyer told Reuters.
The plaque was a replica of a former one commemorating the 1932 revolt that brought an end to the absolute monarchy in Thailand.
The original plaque also went missing under mysterious circumstances back in 2017.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
