New | Three arrested in Thailand after flashing Hunger Games salute at premiere
Three students were arrested at the opening of the Hunger Games: Mockingjay in Thailand after flashing a banned three-finger salute inspired by the film.
The military-imposed government has banned the gesture, which symbolises rebellion against totalitarian rule in the film series. One cinema chain in Thailand's capital cancelled all screenings of the movie ahead of its Thursday opening after a student group planned an anti-coup protest outside one of its theatres. Activists say police pressured the chain to halt the showings.
Two of the people detained were student activists and the third was led away after raising a three-finger salute outside another Bangkok cinema, where The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 was showing.
Ratthapol Supasopon, one of the student activists, denied he was organising a protest.
"Even though our activities in the past have been politically driven, today we are just here to watch a movie," he told reporters, as police led him away.