
"Today, I got a phone call from the Agriculture Department secretariat that the Royal Household Bureau had issued a letter that said the coin could not be installed," he said.
Since he had not seen the letter when Salang and his group insisted on re-installing the coin, Maitree said he could only say the installation of the coin had not been given the royal okay.
"Since Salang signed a letter saying that he would be responsible for the re-installation and because I feared a showdown, I allowed the re-installation but signed a document with the police detailing our disagreement," he said.
During the ceremony, Salang said the coin, constructed by the Agriculture Ministry with Salang as a co-sponsor, had been first installed at the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek Expo in 2006. However, the coin was later taken down and as co-sponsor of the coin, Salang wanted it re-installed.
An informed source said the Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary had protested against the coin being installed on grounds that it had not obtained royal permission and that a royal family member had found the coin improper. The coin was put into storage since January 2007, the source said.