With Hunger Games salutes, thousands of defiant Thais join ‘run against dictatorship’

Thousands join Bangkok fun run for the second notable anti-government rally in a month

A separate rally was held in another of the capital’s parks as a show of support for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha

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Thousands of people joined the fun run to protest against the military-backed government and call for more political freedom, less than a year after a disputed general election. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:56am, 12 Jan 2020Updated: 9:21pm, 12 Jan 2020

Around 10,000 Thais joined a so-called “Run Against Dictatorship” on Sunday, shouting slogans and wielding three-finger salutes from the Hunger Games films in what was believed to be the largest show of political defiance since the 2014 coup.

The runners massed before dawn in a Bangkok park for the event to take a stand against the government, which is led by former junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha and backed by a parliament stacked with MPs loyal to the military.

The run was led by Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the charismatic billionaire leader of a stridently antimilitary political party which is facing the threat of dissolution.

Thai Future Forward Party's leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit at the ‘Run Against Dictatorship’ in Bangkok. Photo: AFP

Thanathorn has been stripped of his MP status, and is facing a battery of legal charges.

“You can feel the anger of the people and their disappointment over the government,” Thanathorn said before the run.