The mystery of the missing plaque of the Revolution in 1932
A plaque commemorating the June 1932 Siamese Revolution (which converted absolute monarchy to a constitutional one) in the pavement of the Royal Plaza has been removed and replaced with another plaque emphasizing the state, Buddhism and kingship. What happened and what is the aftermath?
On June 24, 1932, members of the 'People's Party', led by civilian Pridi Phanomyong and military man Plaek Phibunsongkhraam, staged a non-violent coup that turned absolute monarchy into a constitutional one, a momentous day in Thai history. They forced King Rama VII to accept a constitution, although Thai history books usually state that it was precisely King Rama VII who gave the constitution to the grateful people.
Four years later, in 1936, a commemorative plaque, a bronze plaque, was placed in the pavement of the Royal Plaza, a dozen meters away from the statue of the highly revered King Chulalongkorn the Great (Rama V) mounted on a horse. During the reign of the dictator Sarit Thanarat (1957-1962) the plaque disappeared for some years.
To the shock of many, it turned out a few days ago that the memorial plaque had been replaced by another. This plaque is one of the few public reminders of the 1932 revolution.
The text on the original plaque read:
Original plaque'In this place, on the morning of June 24, 1932, the Constitution for the Progress of the Nation was born.
On the edge of the new plaque states the text of the motto of the current Chakri dynasty:
New plaque'Loyalty and love for the Three Jewels (the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha), for family and for the king is good. With this the state can move forward!'
and further: 'Long live Siam! Happy and honest citizens build the strength of the nation!'
In November 2016, an ultra-royalist, Thepmontri Limpaphayorm, threatened to remove the plaque.
Photos show that on the night of April 4 to 5, a tent was set up on the site of the plaque, surrounded by crush barriers and a sign saying 'No Entry'. That was a few days before the new king signed the newly adopted Constitution on April 6, Chakri Day, a day commemorating the accession to the throne of the first Chakri monarch, Rama I. A few days later, the replacement of the plaque was pushed through to public.
The government replied 'No comment' when asked about this event. Bangkok's police chief said it knew nothing about it and later said it is difficult to launch an investigation into the theft of the plaque "because we don't know who owns it."
Change.org has started a signature campaign. Scientists and social media generally react negatively. Sinsawat Yotbangtoey, a former director of the Pridi Phanomyong Institute says: "No one can erase history even if the plaque is stolen"
A granddaughter of one of the members of the then 'People's Party' demands a search for the missing memorial plaque. Police are now guarding the site of the 'disappeared plaque' and preventing journalists from taking photos.
Soldiers, who are now allowed to assume all police duties, arrested Srisuwan Janya and took him to a military camp where no one can reach him at the moment. Srisuwan is the president of the Association for the Protection of the Constitution, which has already raised 3.000 complaints of corruption and other misconduct in the past. He wanted to petition the prime minister to start an investigation into the disappearance of the plaque and then return it to its original place. For this shameful act he was arrested and imprisoned but released after 12 hours.
Former MP Watana Muangsook (Phua Thai) has been charged with a 'computer crime' (up to 5 years in prison, I believe). He wrote on his Facebook page that the plaque is 'national heritage'.
The disappearance of the old plaque and its replacement by a new one has led many people to study the history of that time more.
Most comments assume that the removal of the plaque would not have been possible without the cooperation of the highest Thai authorities.
www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2017/04/14/1932-revolution-plaque-removed/
www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2017/04/15/1932-revolution-plaque-important/
And that has the great leader taking on advocates who raise concerns about this and other issues. People like the neutral Srisuwan Janya... Because asking questions only causes unrest. And it's just a plaque, right? Would the Prayuth be a real Thai that he does not care about history and the first constitution?
Source: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2017/04/19/meet-thailands-super-gadfly-srisuwan-janya/
And another example: activist Ekachai Hongkangwan was also arrested because he dared to ask the owner of the new plaque to be found. because according to the Junta they know nothing… What a mystery because who owns the historical plaque and who replaced it? The national government does not know, even though everything happened in a prominent place under the noses of the police and military. And if there is no owner or the Junta can remove that new plaque. But with such a request you are not in step, and that is dangerous. Good citizens keep their mouths shut. Completely logical, therefore, that arrest and probably a while to the re-education camps / courses ...
Sources:
- http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2017/04/25/activist-arrested-attempting-petition-prayuth-plaque/
- http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2017/04/18/authorities-respond-questions-missing-plaque-arrests-silence/
“Back to the future” comes to mind. Sorry for the english.
Interesting piece. One could therefore conclude that the removers are in favor of the pre-1932 system.
It was a shameful act, 100% illegal, let's not forget that and let history be written by those who conquered by force.
If resistance had been offered, the coup would certainly not have been so "bloodless", in fact this peace-loving, gentle man "at gunpoint" was forced to sign something. . . , not ?
If the “coup” had failed, its protagonists would have been severely punished!
Jan
Replacing the memorial plaque is of course a symbolic action. It goes much further than a bad prank by Thai (moped) youths or a misplaced student joke. I therefore do not think that the old memorial plaque can be found in one of the basements of Chulalongkorn or Mahidol University.
As an amateur detective (and lover of the books by Maigret and Baantjer) the most important question seems to me: who has (or have) removed the memorial plaque and why? Always keeping in mind: nothing in Thailand is what it seems at first glance. I therefore think it is rather unlikely that the perpetrators should be sought in the circles of the current government (or supporters or accomplices of it). That is what many people (including foreigners here) think.
From the details in this message it can be concluded that the replacement of the theft was well prepared and that the timing was not accidental. But: did the perpetrators now want to make it clear that they also prefer the new constitution or that people do not think this constitution is very good? And if people do not like this constitution: do they want a more liberal, democratic constitution (in which case the perpetrators should be sought in the opponents of this regime) or do they actually want to abolish the constitution and go back to the time of the more absolute monarchy? (in that case, the perpetrators should be sought in circles that support the new king and are implicitly also opponents of this government that supports the new constitution). Or (and I think so myself): the action had nothing to do with the new constitution at all. The question then is: what did it have to do with?
I think the government is trying to play down the replacement of the plaque and is actually upset about it. It seems that the perpetrators wanted to deliver a plague blow to the government, no more and no less. The perpetrators should not be sought in circles that are the obvious political opponents of this government. This is clear from the text on the new memorial plaque. The perpetrators – in my opinion – must be sought in ultra-royalist circles that have little sympathy with the new king and also with a military government that has sided with him. After October 13, they had a different scenario for Thailand in mind.
Dear Chris,
Quote:
'The perpetrators – in my opinion – must be sought in ultra-royalist circles that have little sympathy with the new king and also with a military government that has sided with him. After October 13, they had a different scenario for Thailand in mind.'
That's an interesting argument that I haven't come across in the many posts on social media. Very possible too. That would explain a lot.
What argues against it is the fact that the replacement of the plaque could not possibly have been accomplished without the prior knowledge and cooperation of the government, and that does not fit with your reasoning. The Royal Plaza, with its Throne Hall and statue of Rama V, is one of the most guarded places in Thailand with a number of police posts. The fact that all 11 CCTV surveillance cameras were removed by the Bangkok authorities a few days before the plaque was replaced may have been intentional or coincidental. So I think it is more likely that a very high-ranking person ordered this and that the military government, perhaps reluctantly, gave permission for it. The government's mutterings afterwards also argue for their feelings of guilt and perhaps shame.
In my piece above I deliberately did not discuss possible perpetrators and motives, but your response forces me to do so. Fortunately we can chat again..... 🙂
The ultra-nationalists are also represented in the current 'parliament' and have enough influence to have a few square meters cordoned off somewhere, to have CCTV cameras removed and the lids removed and replaced. Probably accompanied by a lie ('maintenance work'?) so that only a few really knew what the intention was and what was about to happen. The less people know about it, the better it is.
The government is embarrassed because these ultra-nationalists are (were?) the natural allies of this government. And people don't like to go after that (and in view of the reactions, not even). I'm pretty sure that high-ranking person has nothing to do with it. On the contrary. It is also done to 'bully' this person a bit.