Thais who still believe in democracy don't have much to cling to these days. The country is in its third year of military rule, basic rights have been eroded and a long-promised election seems to be disappearing further into the horizon. When civilian rule does return, it will be curtailed by a new constitution that weakens parliament, creates a fully appointed senate and gives the military continued influence in political affairs. With the future so bleak, activists looked to the past for inspiration, adopting a historic plaque in the capital as a symbol of their struggle for democracy. Now this, too, has been taken away.
The plaque, commemorating Siam's 1932 revolution against the absolute monarchy, had been embedded in the road at the Royal Plaza for around 80 years but recently vanished under mysterious circumstances. In its place lies a new marker that makes no mention of either the revolution or Thailand's first constitution. Instead, the replacement bears an inscription calling for loyalty to the king and country.
The governing junta has denied responsibility and claims to be investigating the incident. However, coup leader-turned-Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said the plaque's disappearance was "not a matter of life and death" and urged people to think about the future instead of the past.
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