A Thai academic-cum-political exile-cum-eyewear model is not welcome back home – even if it’s just on a billboard.
Eyewear brand Ophtus said it was forced to take down a billboard of Pavin Chachavalpongpun from above its Siam Square shop today by police and its university landlord.
“Police came to [our store] and told us that we cannot put [the billboard] up because of a political reason,” a store employee told Coconuts Bangkok on Friday afternoon. He refused to give his name.
The company apologized to customers and fans that it could not put up the billboard. It said that the Chulalongkorn University Property Management, which owns the Siam Square area, would not allow the billboard to remain up.
Royal critic in exile is surprising new face of Thai gaming eyewear
“We’re informed that although the billboard company approves it to be installed, Chulalongkorn University was afraid that a protest would take place,” Ophtus wrote on its official Facebook. It posted a photo of a Pavin billboard before it’s ordered removed, Ophtus’ admin said.
But the brand knew full well it was courting controversy when it announced earlier this week that it had recruited the firebrand provocateur and monarchy critic to represent its products.
Pavin posted a photo taken at the Siam Square One shopping mall, where Ophtus is located, appearing to show undercover security forces surveying the scene.
“Wow, officers were sent to patrol the scene to prevent my billboard from going up … [I’m] such a threat to the country,” Pavin wrote.
Pavin left the country rather than be hauled in by the junta which seized power in 2014.
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