The new plaque symbolising democracy that was installed on Sunday morning by protesters at Sanam Luang has been removed overnight.
The plaque was embedded in cement at Sanam Luang in a ceremony led by protest leader Parit "Penguin" Chiwarak at 6.39am on Sunday to mark "a new era of the people's power" and declare "Thailand belongs to the people."
The plaque was intended to replace an old one commemorating Siam's transition from absolute monarchy to constitutional democracy in 1932. The old plaque mysteriously disappeared in 2017 and was replaced by one bearing a pro-monarchist slogan.
After a ceremony to install the new plaque on Sunday, the protesters marched to an area outside the Supreme Court and handed over a petition containing their demands.
Mr Parit then called off the rally and declared a new demonstration would be held outside Parliament on Thursday.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration reportedly closed the Sanam Luang gates at 10pm on Sunday and opened them again on Monday at 5am. That was when the new pro-democracy plaque was found to have been removed. The spot where the plaque was planted had been covered up with cement that still looked wet.
"I’ve received a report that the plaque is gone but I don’t know how and I don’t know who did it," Bangkok’s Deputy Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Piya Tawichai told Reuters.
Police and others said on Sunday the installation of the new plaque was a violation of certain laws.
