Protesters in Myanmar are using the three-finger salute from 'The Hunger Games' to oppose the military coup
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Bill Bostock
Feb 8, 2021, 16:47 IST
A Myanmar protester makes the three finger salute during a demonstration against military coup in Yangon, Myanmar on February 7, 2021.Myat Thu Kyaw/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Protesters opposing the Myanmar coup are using the three-finger salute from "The Hunger Games."
The military seized control on February 1 and cut access to the internet amid mass protests.
The salute symbolizes solidarity and justice and has also been used in Hong Kong and Thailand.
After a week of sporadic opposition, tens of thousands of protesters amassed in Yangon and other cities from Saturday. Photos from the demonstrations show the three-finger salute everywhere.
In Myanmar, protesters are calling on the military to release national leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, who were both detained on February 1.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications ordered Telenor Myanmar to shut down its services to stop the "circulation of fake news" and ensure the "stability of the nation" on Saturday, the company said.
As Insider's Julie Gerstein previously reported, the state-run MRTV channel on Monday chose to show a recording of a pop concert while protests were raging in Yangon.
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The three-finger sign was first used in Myanmar during a walk-out by medical professionals from 70 hospitals on February 3, part of a nationwide civil disobedience campaign.
Soon after, 300 people working at a COVID-19 quarantine center in Bago also quit.
Those supporting the protesters' cause abroad have also co-opted the salute, like those gathered outside the Myanmar's embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday.
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