Thai military bans "Hunger Games" salute

5 Jun – Thai citizens who are against the bloodless military coup are raising the three finger salute from "The Hunger Games" as a sign of silent protest and resistance against the authorities.

According to The Guardian, the salute has been adopted as an unofficial gesture by protesters when it was used in front of 6,000 soldiers deployed to curb riots at a central shopping district last Sunday.

In response, the military has issued a crackdown on anyone who is seen using the salute in groups. A military spokesman has said that they will be monitoring the usage of the salute and that those who refused to put down their salutes after being warned would be apprehended.

Meanwhile, protesters have been encouraged to use the salute over the social media, attaching with it their own interpretations of its meaning ranging from liberty, democracy, and anti-coup sentiments, with some even suggesting that it should be used as much as three times a day, while standing still for 30 seconds each time.

Check out some of the photos of the protest happening in Thailand below:

In "The Hunger Games", the salute was used by Katniss as a sign to represent thanks, admiration and goodbye to a loved one while also a symbol against the totalitarian government of Panem for its oppression on the outer Districts.

"Hunger Games: Catching Fire", the second movie in the series dominated the Thai box office in November and December when it was released last year.

Revolution is at hand in for the upcoming "Hunger Games" movie, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1" which will be released in Malaysia on 20 November 2014.