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Myanmar Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun Raises 3 Fingers While Speaking at the United Nations on February 26 – Screenshot
From Hong Kong to Thailand and now Myanmar, the salute of the “residents of District 12” in the series The Hunger Games (title in Vietnam: The Hunger Gamesit has become a symbol of resistance, anti-dictatorship and a call for solidarity.
According to Reuters, health workers were the first in Myanmar to raise three fingers during the civil disobedience movement launched on February 2, the day after the coup. Acting quickly attracts the attention of many others. Just a week after the coup, this greeting could be seen in all the large and small demonstrations in Yangon.
Senior officials from the Aung San Suu Kyi National League for Democracy, which is in the custody of the military, also posted a photo of them holding three fingers on Facebook.
In the series The Hunger GamesThe act of the three fingers represents a call for solidarity in a troubled world, where rebels fight for freedom against President Snow of the fictional nation Panem.
Actress Jennifer Lawrence with three fingers up in film has inspired real life – Screenshot
District 12 residents who want to thank or show that they love someone often put their 3 fingers together and bring them to their lips before raising them. The left hand is always the one used to denote actions.
According to the newspaper The GuardianThis gesture first appeared in Thailand just days after the May 2014 military coup. The image of people holding three fingers towards President Snow in the film strongly inspired Thai protesters.
A small group of young people have gathered in front of a busy shopping center in Bangkok to express their discontent. One of them suddenly raised 3 fingers to the sky.
“When one person paves the way, another will follow. This gesture becomes an anti-coup symbol,” explained Thai political activist Sirawith Seritiwat.
In late 2014, the three-finger salute spread to the democracy protests in Hong Kong and popped up occasionally.
Myanmar medical personnel raised 3 fingers to protest the military coup, demanding the release of captured elected leaders – Photo: AFP
In Thailand, protesters still regularly raise three fingers during mass protests that broke out in July 2020. According to Reuters, it appears that cultural exchanges and close geographical distance brought this salute to Myanmar.
Not only “responsive” the 3-finger salute, the young protesters in Myanmar also used all the images and ingenuity to lash out at the army. They use online memes, stitched into images of generals to poke fun at those who toppled the civilian government.
A Myanmar protester used popular youth memes to poke fun at General Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the coup – Photo: TWITTER
