In rural Myanmar, residents protect police who reject coup

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Civil servants, even police officers, are risking their jobs to protest the military takeover in Myanmar. One of the more dramatic examples of crossing that line also illustrates the deep roots of the country’s ethnic conflicts. In a video from an eastern village, 42 local police officers stood as one to declare their support for the protesters and refuse entreaties from a senior officer to return to duty. A young resister said: “If we go back with you it will be so different from what we desire.” Fellow resisters shouted their agreement. Reports later suggested they were in hiding. They are mostly from a local ethnic group while the senior officer is an outsider. Ethnic minorities have struggled for greater autonomy at least since Myanmar’s independence.