‘Rise of self-defence forces could spell disaster’

Violence in post-coup Myanmar has escalated as anti-junta “self-defence” forces step up to take on the military, a report said, warning of an “enormous” human cost if the regime uses its full power in subsequent crackdowns.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the Feb 1 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, with over 880 people killed in a junta crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group.