The military court in Bangkok granted Sgt Narongchai Intharakawi’s release on 50,000 baht bail, his lawyer Norasate Nanongtoom said.
Army chief Gen Apirat Kongsompong acknowledged after the mass shooting that officers were involved in corruption and promised a crackdown. After he complained, he said, his name was no longer used in the phony accounting, but his army career suffered. Narongchai said he next decided to call a hotline that the army commander had established for reporting military corruption, but at the same time agreed to meet with superiors who assured him that his situation could be resolved if he apologised.
Narongchai said he then decided he would not be safe in military detention, so he fled his unit, taking with him documents that he said support his allegations of graft.