Following the ousting of Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from power, those seeking to peacefully protest the imposition of a military junta in the country on May 22 have adopted a gesture found in The Hunger Games book and film series, curling the little finger and thumb into the palm and raising the three middle fingers in the air. Use of the gesture as a form of protest began last weekend in Bangkok, the capital of the country.

This form of protest has drawn the attention of Thailand’s military junta, the National Council for Peace and Order, who announced its intent on Tuesday to arrest protestors who display the gesture, in violation of orders to stop. Speaking on behalf of the junta, Colonel Weerachon Sukhondhapatipak said to the Associated Press, “At this point we are monitoring the movement. If it is an obvious form of resistance, then we have to control it so it doesn’t cause any disorder in the country.” In a comment to the Bangkok Post, Thai army Colonel Winthai Suwaree shared a similar sentiment: “[The junta] must look at [the protester’s] intention, what they want to communicate and surrounding circumstances”.

Following the ousting of Thailand’s elected government in reportedly the fourteenth coup experienced by the country since the adoption of constitutional monarchy in 1932, the country remains affected by a curfew spanning midnight to 4am, with only Phuket, Koh Samui and Pattaya exempted, as they are beach resorts frequented by tourists, a group for whom the junta made the move in a bid to avoid adverse effects to the country’s tourist industry.

Nonetheless, in the wake of the coup, the United States Department of State (DoS) advised “U.S. citizens reconsider any non-essential travel to Thailand, particularly Bangkok”. The DoS also informed US citizens to stay away from groups of protestors, citing that “even demonstrations that are meant to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.” Other restrictions placed on citizens by the junta include internet censorship and restrictions on television broadcasts. Also banned were assemblies of five or more people with political intent.

Solitary displays of the gesture was among a few forms of protest utilized by the Thai people in Bangkok on Sunday, amid the placement of almost 6000 soldiers and police officers by the junta in an effort to suppress protests. Other displays of defiance included protestors banding together in flash mobs or peacefully walking through the central shopping district donning masks in an attempt to bypass security forces stationed there.

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