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FFrom Thailand to Myanmar, pro-democracy protesters are raising the three-finger salute in opposition to military dictatorships. Adopted from the Hunger Games movies, the gesture has become a symbol of resistance and solidarity for democratic movements in Southeast Asia.
The salute was first used in Myanmar last week by medical workers, then young protesters began to lift it in opposition to the military coup. On Monday, a week after the inauguration, the hand gesture could be seen during large protests on the streets of Yangon.
Fast guide
What is happening in Myanmar?
On February 1, the Myanmar military seized power with a coup against the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. She and other leading party figures were arrested in a morning raid. In response, tens of thousands have protested on the streets of Yangon and other cities as part of a growing campaign of civil disobedience. The military has blocked social media platforms in an attempt to crack down on dissent. The United Nations Security Council has called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained ministers.
At the Hunger Games, the salute represented solidarity in a dystopian world where rebels fought for freedom against an all-powerful tyrant.
The gesture was first seen in Thailand just days after a military coup in May 2014 that caused outrage among voters across the kingdom. Later it was banned.
After the military seizure of power, a small group of young protesters gathered in front of a busy shopping center to show their discontent. One of the protesters suddenly raised his salute.
“When this person started, others followed. So it automatically became an anti-coup symbol, ”says Sirawith Seritiwat, 28, a prominent Thai pro-democracy activist who was present at the time.
Since 2014, the hand gesture has been widely used in Thailand at protest sites.
“We knew it would be easily understood to represent concepts of freedom, equality, solidarity,” he said. He added that the anti-authoritarian message conveyed in the Hunger Games movies resonated with young protesters at the time.
“It was partly because the anti-coup situation back then felt similar to the scenes in the movie The Hunger Games, where people pointed three fingers at President Snow,” he said.
