A photographer's chronicle of Thailand's democracy struggle

From rural poverty to bus conductor, soldier and photographer, Vinai Dithajohn followed his dream

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Photographer Vinai Dithajohn at the opening of his exhibition "Red & Yellow" at VS Gallery on April 22. The show documents Thailand's struggle for democracy between 2003 and 2016. (Photo by Tom Vater)

TOM VATER, Contributing writer

BANGKOK -- "My father had a small camera and he recorded our family life," says Vinai Dithajohn. "I was totally fascinated. And I watched Tintin cartoons, the stories of a young reporter who traveled and went on adventures around the world. That felt like a good life. But even imagining becoming a professional photographer was impossible."

Vinai was born in Bangkok's working-class Klong Toei area. He served in Thailand's armed forces and worked in myriad poorly paid jobs to fulfill his dream of becoming a photographer. Now, two Bangkok galleries are sharing a major retrospective of his work -- a photographic record of Thailand's political turmoil of the last 25 years.

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