Strange "pillar to heaven" photographed in sky over Thailand

A puzzling pillar was photographed in the sky above Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand on Sunday. See the strange image below. What is it?

According to Chulalongkorn University professor and famed science communicator Jessada Denduangboripant, the phenomena could be a distrail—a clear, linear gap in a cloud layer caused by the passage of an aircraft, where the plane's warm exhaust evaporates the surrounding cloud, creating a trail-like void.

From Coast to Coast:

That said, the Chulalongkorn University professor noted that such an occurrence should have been visible in the sky, which led him to lament that "the mystery of this pillar persists. Hopefully, it isn't a trick of photo editing or a camera glitch." An update posted by Denduangboripant on Tuesday morning added another hypothesis to the mix as, based on other pictures taken by the witness, he posited that the pillar may have simply been a reflection. 

"It's fun to keep thinking about," Denduangboripant said. Indeed it is.

Previously:
• Eerie pillars of light photographed in sky above Japan
• Kentucky museum displays piece of meat that fell from sky during freaky meat shower
• Weird moving light beam in sky sparks wonder in Miami (video)