14 DAY TRIAL // You might have heard of the recent turmoil in Thailand where the government has been overthrown in a military coup and now martial law has been instated. Reports coming in from the country show that some of the members of the resistance have chosen to express their discontent in a rather curious way, by flashing the same salute from the movies “The Hunger Games.”
Wired reports that protesters chose this salute which can be seen in the “Hunger Games” saga. In that story, the salute represents a symbol of protest against the repressive government in the fictional world of Panem.
After the political and military coup that took place in Thailand on May 22, some protesters have adopted the sign in which the hand is raised with three fingers extended in the air while the fourth is curled down into the palm.
Authorities have begun to pick up on this issue and are said to be arresting all people who are seen flashing the salute. There are confirmed reports that groups of people have been pulled off the streets and even arrested when they were spotted by military forces.
A spokesperson for the military, Colonel Weerachon Sukhondhapatipak, said that “If it is an obvious form of resistance, then we have to control it so it doesn’t cause any disorder in the country.” He has also tried to explain that it's not the gesture that attracts attention, but the fact that people gather in large numbers.
Martial law, when applied, prevents large groups of people from gathering, under penalty of arrest. “If it is a political gathering of five people or more, then we will have to take some action,” continued the Colonel.
The fact that the junta has imposed a media blackout for television, satellite and radio, the “Hunger Games” salute campaign managed to find and gain popularity through social media. Thais were seen to encourage the movement on Facebook and Twitter.
A columnist for the Bangkok Post pointed that “If Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha reads or watches The Hunger Games, he would know that what triggered the ‘revolution’ is not the three-finger salute. It’s the public execution of an old man…”
“Right now, there is no film screen heroine Katniss Everdeen to lead the anti-coup crowd. The military does not want to quell the movement to the point that one is produced,” the report continues, pointing out some inherent flaws in the current revolution.