Thailand protests: why a royalist went from haircuts featuring king to the three-finger salute

A Thai radiologist known for his novelty hairstyles used to have a portrait of Maha Vajiralongkorn shaved into his head – but now it’s the Hunger Games salute

His cutting remarks reflect the dramatic transformation in a country where reverence for the monarch is obligatory under the constitution

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Mitree Chitinunda, a former ultraroyalist who last year got a haircut of King Maha Vajiralongkorn's portrait on the back of his head, has changed his haircut to a symbol of the anti-government protest movement. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:30pm, 1 Dec 2020Updated: 7:30pm, 1 Dec 2020

Mitree Chitinunda was such a devoted Thai royalist that he had the king’s portrait cut into his hair last year. But politics, like fashion and hairstyles, is changing in Thailand.

Mitree’s latest hairstyle shows the Hunger Games salute of the pro-democracy protesters who are demanding reforms to curb the power of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, as well as a new prime minister and new constitution.

“I support all of the three demands,” said Mitree, 48, who regularly joins the protests.

“The protests happened because people had enough,” he said. “If we don’t get real democracy, we will not stop and I will continue to support and come to protest.”

Mitree’s change of heart reflects the dramatic transformation in a country where reverence for the monarch is obligatory under the constitution, but tens of thousands of people have joined protests to demand royal reforms.