Mr Prasong posted a photo of the statue, which is resident at Wat Komarapat in Tambon Thepkrasattri, with the famed sword missing yesterday (June 24).
“The sword of our grandmothers [an endeared reference to the Heroines] disappeared from the paan bai sri [Buddhist offerings of devotion] last night. The evil thief is not aware of his actions,” Mr Prasong wrote.
Mr Prasong benevolently called on the thieves to return the sword, on the understanding that they may not be aware of the gravity of the actions, though many local residents called for the thieves to be caught and brought to justice.
Mr Prasong and locals were said to be leading their own investigation, acting on the belief that youngsters in the area may be responsible.
Mr Prasong’s lack of conviction of taking such a simple complaint to the police may be well founded after his parents were shot dead in their small home-shop in the heart of Thalang Town in 2003 by a police hit squad.
Worse, the entire team of police officers tasked with investigating the double murder of Prasert and Thavorn Trairat were later only transferred – and never named by police – after an internal probe by superior officers from Region 8 Police found that the team “had conducted a dishonest investigation”.
No motive for the execution of Mr Prasong’s parents was ever revealed, and the gunman Sgt Maj Chalaw Ramduang formerly of the Sikao District Police in Trang – as identified by one of the suspects who confessed to identifying the victims to be slain – at last report was never caught.
Col Ronapong Saikaew, who at the time was Superintendent of Investigation for Provincial Police Region 8, which includes Phuket, noted in 2004, “People already know the truth – that a police officer was the real kingpin who hired the gunman.
“The case has now been sent to the courts, so we [Region 8 police] can’t be involved in it anymore” Col Ronapong said.
The Phuket News is not aware of any further public reports on the outcome of the trial.