The "V for Thailand" Facebook page, which is used to coordinate anti-government white-mask gatherings, has claimed Thaksin Shinawatra supporters masterminded an armed robbery at a convenience store early Monday morning in which two offenders wore Guy Fawkes masks.
Guy Fawkes mask (www.facebook.com/V.For.Thailand)
The group posted a message on its Facebook page saying the Thaksin regime and corrupt politicians were trying to discredit the white-mask movement by engineering the robbery in the wake of their growing popularity and the increasing number of people joining the group.
The ''V for Thailand'' Facebook page said "evil tricks" such as these were widely known to have been used by the red shirts and servants of dishonest politicians.
The robbery took place at a 7-Eleven store in Don Muang district at about 3am on Monday, only a day after white mask members gathered in Bangkok and another 37 venues in other provinces.
It called on supporters to change their profile pictures at 9pm to that of what it called “the standard or straight face white mask” which is being shown as the page’s profile picture. The change was a show of force and unity for future gatherings, it added.
It also thanked Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung for attracting more people to the movement after he claimed many people taking part in the rally in Bangkok on Sunday were mobilised by politicians and those in the casino business.
Video footage from a security camera at a 7-Eleven posted on YouTube by Matichon TV shows two men wearing Guy Fawkes masks stealing 1,600 baht in cash and two bottles of liquor worth 2800 baht in a heist that took less than 40 seconds.