Thailand removes plaque critical of monarchy

Bloomberg

Thai authorities removed a plaque proclaiming Thailand “belongs to the people, not the monarchy” a day after protesters installed it during a rally that drew tens of thousands of people seeking greater democracy.
The Fine Arts Department and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration removed the plaque, and the cultural heritage agency also filed a complaint against the protesters for breaking the law on ancient monuments,
according to district police chief Worasak Pisitbannakorn. Footage shared on social media showed fresh concrete at the spot where the brass plaque was installed during the weekend protest, the largest gathering since the 2014 military coup.
Protesters had installed the plaque at an empty spot in Sanam Luang, a field near the Grand Palace used for royal ceremonies, as a replacement for another one from a nearby plaza that went missing three years ago. That plaque had marked the 1932 revolution that ended absolute monarchy.
The protest group United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration is pressing for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha and his government, a rewriting of the constitution and a 10-point demand to reform the monarchy —
including revoking strict laws criminalising insults against top members of the royal family. Demonstrators over the weekend handed a list of demands to a representative of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s Privy Council.