Myanmar police defect to anti-government militias as civil war looms – BBC News

BBC News published this video item, entitled “Myanmar police defect to anti-government militias as civil war looms – BBC News” – below is their description.

As Myanmar heads towards a new civil war, the police are coming under intense pressure to decide whether to stay loyal to the military or join the civilian militia, the People’s Defence Force.

Since the military coup on 1 February, police have been used to brutally suppress mass protests.

Some protesters have taken up arms to fight back, forming civilian militias called the People’s Defence Force.

The BBC has been given rare access to the first group of police officers who defected and joined the people’s side.

Some of those officers even say they’re prepared to use their weapons against their former colleagues.

BBC News YouTube Channel

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About This Source - BBC News

The video item below is a piece of English language content from BBC News. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster funded by the UK Government, and British license fee payers. Its headquarters are at Broadcasting House in Westminster, London.

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A coup d’état or just coup is the removal and seizure of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal, unconstitutional seizure of power by a political faction, the military, or a dictator.

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Myanmar (formerly Burma) is a Southeast Asian nation of more than 100 ethnic groups, bordering India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand. Yangon (formerly Rangoon), the country’s largest city, is home to bustling markets, numerous parks and lakes, and the towering, gilded Shwedagon Pagoda, which contains Buddhist relics and dates to the 6th century.

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The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and the use of force legitimized by the state via the monopoly on violence.

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