BANGKOK ¨C In July, as thousands of Thais demanded the resignation of the government in one of the largest street demonstrations since a 2014 military coup, Thai Army Sgt. Ekkachai Wangkaphan sided with the protesters.
¡°Down with dictatorship,¡± he wrote on Facebook under a news story about a jailed activist, a week before the protest. On the day of the protest, July 18, he shared a livestream and pictures with the hashtag of the Free Youth protest group. A few weeks later, he shared a photo of a protester carrying a placard saying ¡°The country where you speak the truth and you go to jail.¡±
His superiors in the Royal Thai Army warned him to stop. But he had already made up his mind to quit and left the army in October.
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