CCTV footage around missing revolution plaque unavailable

Along with the removal of the 1932 Revolution memorial plaque, recordings from 11 CCTVs surrounding the site seem likewise to have gone missing. The police have also now prohibited photos and activities around the new ‘fresh-faced’ plaque.   
 
On 19 April 2016, over 20 student activists, led by Nutta Mahattana and Aphisit Sapnaphanat, petitioned the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to reveal CCTV footage of the old plaque. 
 
 
A BMA representative receives a petition from activists
 
The BMA, however, told the activists that the relevant CCTV records could be unavailable since traffic lights near the plaque were renovated on 31 March. The 11 CCTVs around the plaque have been out of service ever since, as they shared the same electric circuit as the traffic lights. 
 
“Though those CCTVs are out of service, we have petitioned for recordings from other CCTVs nearby,” said Aphisit.
 
In a related development, police officers on 18 April set a fence around the newly installed plaque, prohibiting people from taking photos or hosting political activities there.
 
On social media, people have shared pictures of the new plaque surrounded by a tall aluminium fence. The message on the fence reads ‘royal site’. 
 
 
The ‘royal site’ fence around the ‘fresh-face’ plaque (Photo from Phraiwan Wannabut’s Facebook)
 
The brass plaque at the Royal Plaza in Bangkok commemorating the 1932 Revolution reportedly went missing on 14 April. It was installed by the first political party of the nation, the People’s Party (Khana Ratsadon), who staged the bloodless coup d’état on 24 June 1932 that ended the Chakri Dynasty’s 150 years of absolutist rule.
 
The message written on the old plaque read, “At this spot at dawn on 24 June 1932, the People’s Party gave birth to the constitution for national prosperity.”
 
The old plaque was replaced with another etched with the message, “May Siam prosper forever [with] happy fresh-faced citizens as the force of the nation”. The rim reads, “Respect and loyalty to the Buddhist Triple Gems and to one’s family clan, and honesty towards one’s King are tools for making the state prosper.” 
 
 
Police securing the new plaque on the night of 18 April (Photo from Voice TV)

 

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