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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