By Andrew Bender
As if it weren’t enough that a military coup in Thailand has imposed martial law and curfews, took over the radio and television stations and has been arresting partisans of the old regime. Now citizens can be arrested for flashing the three-fingered salute from theHunger Games movies.
A spokesman for the military junta, Col. Weerachon Sukhondhapatipak, told the Associated Press “We know it comes from the movie, and let’s say it represents resistance against the authorities.”
An individual making the salute would likely have no problem, he said, “but if it is a political gathering of five people or more, then we will have to take some action,” including arrest.
Military coups have a long history Thailand – there have been 14 of them, plus some half-dozen attempted coups, since the nation abandoned absolute monarchy in 1932.
“Each year, Thailand tends to experience at least one period of frenzied coup speculation,” wrote Thailand scholar Nicholas Farrelly in the Australian Journal of International Affairs last year. “Coups clearly still play a major role in Thai mainstream politics.”
This coup, though, is generally seen as more severe than most. Begun on May 22, it is notable for the roundup of politicians, academics and “red shirt” supporters of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, ousted by the courts on May 7, and her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Coups in Thailand have generally left visitors alone, given the importance of tourism to the Thai economy; Bangkok, the capital, was ranked the world’s most visited city last year. Thai newspapers have reported that curfews were lifted yesterday in major tourist areas such as beach resorts.
Still, a U.S. State Department travel alert recommends that “U.S. citizens reconsider any non-essential travel to Thailand, particularly Bangkok,” and avoid large gatherings as “even demonstrations that are meant to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.”
It’s not hard to draw a line between the Hunger Games and the protesters of the junta. In the movies – and the books before them, by Suzanne Collins – elites in a wealthy capital rule over impoverished masses in outer “districts.” Competitors, called tributes, are chosen by lottery from each of the districts to compete in a death match, televised reality-TV-style.
No such games are happening in Thailand, thankfully, but the ousted Shinawatra government and her Pheu Thai Party were generally seen as being favorable to poorer, rural interests.
The second movie in the series, Hunger Games: Catching Fire, was the top film at the Thai box office last November and December. The three-fingered salute appears at pivotal moments in the movies, such as this scene from Catching Fire. Characters played by stars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson have won, and crowds flash the salute (around 2:50), leading to a deadly crackdown.
