False posts in Thailand have criticised a volleyball player for purportedly flashing the three-finger salute protest symbol during a match in the capital Bangkok attended by Pita Limjaroenrat, the front runner to become the kingdom's next prime minister. But the photo shared in the posts was actually taken at an earlier match the Thai volleyball team played in Brazil. The international organisation that hosted the match and Thailand's national volleyball body said the player was pictured discussing tactics with her teammates -- not making a political gesture.

"Ban the volleyball association, will stop cheering and stop watching if you've joined the three fingers. Don't dare wear our national team's uniform," reads a Thai-language Facebook post shared here on June 30.

The post shares a collage showing Pita attending a Volleyball Nations League match in Bangkok on June 29 alongside a photo of player Ajcharaporn Kongyot holding up three fingers.

Screenshot of the false post taken July 6, 2023

Posts with a similar claim juxtaposing images of Pita and Ajcharaporn were also shared on Twitter and elsewhere on Facebook here and here.

Other Facebook posts here and here also criticised Ajcharaporn for allegedly doing the three-finger salute from "The Hunger Games" movies -- a symbol of defiance that first emerged in 2014 after the military seized power in a coup, suspending democracy and curtailing free expression.

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