PHETCHABURI – Soldiers were dispatched to a temple in Phetchaburi province today to inspect a statue of a mythical monkey warrior raising the forbidden "three-finger salute."

A group of soldiers from 15th Army District arrived at Rai Don Temple in Mueang district at around 10 am and talked with the temple abbot about the statue, which depicts Hanuman, the prominent character of the epic Ramakien, with three fingers raised.

The three-metre tall statue stands on a hill by Bangkok – Phetchaburi road, and has drawn attention from a local military unit for its hand gesture's resemblance to the "three-finger salute" anti-coup protesters have adopted as a symbol of resistance against the junta. 

Samruay Em-oat, the sculptor who created the statue, said he assured soldiers that he did not design the statue with an anti-coup intent. According to the artist, the three fingers raised by Hanuman in fact refer to the so-called Three Pillars of Thailand –  Nation, Religion, and Monarchy. 

"They are the tools that unite all Thai people and create harmony, love, and peace in the society," Samruay said. 

Samruay added that Hanuman is an exemplary warrior who fights evil with moral power.

"The same goes with the current government," Samruay said, "They should only exercise their power in a legitimate, correct, and just way for the sake of people's happiness."

Samruay Em-oat, the sculptor who created the artwork, told reporters that the statue did not carry any political message.

In the tale of Ramakien, which is heavily influenced by the Indian epic Ramayana, Hanuman is the captain of a monkey army loyal to King Rama, who wages a war against the evil giant Thotsakan. Ramakien has been the 'official' literature of the Thai Royal Court for hundreds of years; scenes of Ramakien stories are depicted in the massive mural at the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

Phra Kru Sri Thammarat, the abbot of Rai Don Temple, also insisted that Hanuman's three-finger gesture do not carry any political messages. 

"Apart from the Three Pillars of the Nation, in Buddhism the three fingers can refer to the three Dharma that Lord Buddha has discovered: uncertainty, suffering, and illusion, which are the common law that [governs] all things in this world," Phra Kru Sri Thammarat explained. "The only thing that remains in this world is goodness. So, the statue of Hanuman is meant to remind those who pass by to always do good. That is what the temple wants to convey to all Buddhists."

The soldiers eventually left the temple without any incident. 

The three-finger salute became a symbol of anti-coup resistance shortly after the military seized power on 22 May, and is said to be inspired by the popular sci-fi book and movie series, "The Hunger Games," where it is used to symbolize rebellion against totalitarian rule.

Under the junta's ban on all sort of political activities, flashing the three-finger salute in public has been banned along with other anti-coup gestures, such as eating sandwiches, posting a photo with anti-coup messages on Facebook, or reading George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen-Eightyfour. 

Protester flashing the three-finger salute at an anti-coup demonstration in Bangkok on 1 June 2014.

Some violators of the ban on protest have been tried and given suspended jail terms in military court, where appeals are not permitted. 

Juna leader and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said in a televised address in June that anti-coup protesters are only allowed to raise the three-finger salute "in their own homes."

However, five student activists from Khon Kaen University defied Gen. Prayuth's order and flashed the salute in front of the junta chairman as he was making a speech in Khon Kaen province on 19 November. The students were quickly escorted away to a military camp, where they were interrogated and later released without any charges.  

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BANGKOK – The Thai military government has officially unveiled a set of "stickers" that depict the moral teaching of junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha for the chat application LINE.

Images of the "Twelve Values" stickers were published on the website of the Ministry of Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) today. The set consists of twelve stickers representing each of the "Twelve Values" that Gen. Prayuth wants all Thais to practice, and four stickers for "general occasions."

For instance, the first value, "Loyalty to the Nation, the Religion, and the Monarchy," is depicted by an animated woman hugging a big heart, with the caption "Love with all my heart!," while the sixth value, "Morality and good will for others," is portrayed with a cartoon character telling the phone users, "Don't lie!"

The four "general occasion" stickers feature a cartoon character saying "Happy New Year," "Roger that," "Good morning," and "Good night."

The stickers will be available for download for LINE application between 30 December and 28 January free of charge, the website says. ICT officials previously termed the stickers as a "New Year present" to all Thais.

"We want to help Thai people know more about the values," Songpon said. "So that they will send the stickers to each other on New Year's [Day]," said Deputy Permanent Secretary of the ICT, Songpon Komolsuradet on 16 December. 

LINE was chosen as the platform for the stickers presumably because it is one of the most popular chat applications in social media obsessed Thailand. According to the Japan-based company, there are at least 24 million registered LINE users in Thailand out of a population of 65 million.

The instant messaging application is known for its "stickers," or sets of cartoons and emojis that can be purchased from an online store.

The Thai government will pay LINE seven million baht to provide the Twelve Values stickers to users free of charge, documents on the ICT website reveal. 

The Twelve Values, which Gen. Prayuth bestowed to the nation in a televised broadcast in July, are the following: 

1. Loyalty to the Nation, the Religion, and the Monarchy

2. Honesty, sacrifice, endurance, and noble ideology for the greater good

3. Gratitude for parents, guardians, and teachers

4. Diligence in acquiring knowledge, via school studies and other methods

5. Preserving the Thai customs and tradition

6. Morality and good will for others

7. Correct understanding of democracy with the King as Head of State

8. Discipline, respect for law, and obedience to the older citizens

9. Constant consciousness to practice good deeds all the time, as taught by His Majesty the King

10. Practice of Self-Sufficient Economy in accordance with the teaching of His Majesty the King

11. Physical and mental strength. Refusal to surrender to religious sins.

12. Uphold the interest of the nation over oneself.

Authorities have already instructed public schools and state agencies to hang a banner listing Gen. Prayuth’s teachings on their premises. State agencies have also produced a poem, song, and 12-part film based on the Twelve Values.

The film, titled "Thai Niyom," stirred controversy shortly after it was released on 6 December because of a scene in which two children are seen painting and praising a picture of Adolf Hitler.

A Cabinet minister from the Office of Prime Minister, which was responsible for the film’s production, was forced to apologise to the Israeli ambassador in Bangkok after the diplomat said he was "deeply saddened" to see the "trivialization and misuse" of Nazi symbols in an official Thai government film. 

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BANGKOK – Police say they are speeding up their effort to prosecute relatives of Srirasmi Suwadee, the wife of Thai Crown Prince who resigned from her royal status last week.

Pol.Gen. Aek Angsananond said yesterday that police are nearly finished preparing case files for public prosecutors on the members of the alleged criminal ring associated with Srirasmi's family. According to police, the criminal network was run by Srirasmi's uncle, former chief of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) Pol.Lt.Gen. Pongpat Chayapan, and his deputies. 

Pol.Lt.Gen. Pongpat and his accomplices have been charged with numerous offences, including lese majeste (insult of monarchy), corruption, abuse of political office, money laundering, and running illegal gambling businesses.

"We are checking the facts of the cases carefully," said Pol.Gen. Aek. "In our inspection so far, we have not encountered any problem in the cases. We expect to forward them to the public prosecutors soon."

Srirasmi's brother and sister are also accused of belonging to Pongpat's alleged criminal network. Her brother, Col. Nattapol Suwadee, is under arrest on charges of armed racketeering and illegal detention, and her sister, Sudathip Muangnuan, is being held in a Bangkok prison for citing her connections to the monarchy in order to win exclusive rights to sell certain food products to the Crown Prince's palace at an overpriced rate.

In total, 26 arrest warrants have been issued on individuals suspected of belonging to the criminal ring; 11 of these individuals face lese majeste charges, which carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. 

In response to the ongoing scandal, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn stripped Srirasmi's entire family of the royally-bestowed surname of Akharaphongpreecha, forcing them to revert back to their "commoner" surname, Suwadee, on 30 November. 

Less than two weeks later, on 12 December, the Royal Household Bureau announced that Srirasmi has resigned from her status as a member of the Thai Royal Family. She moved out of the Crown Prince's palace in Bangkok to live with her parents in Ratchaburi province and has not been seen since 13 December, when she applied for a new national ID card as a commoner. 

It is unclear whether Srirasmi and the Crown Prince are formally divorced. The couple married in 2001 and have one 9-year-old son. 

Pol.Lt.Gen. Sriwara Rangsiphramanakul, commander of Bangkok Metropolitan Police, said he expected that police will finalise their investigation of suspects charged with lese majeste "by the end of this week."

"We have excellent paper evidence, material evidence, and witness' testimony [against the suspects]," Pol.Lt.Gen. Sriwara said yesterday. 

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