Myanmar's ethnic armed groups weigh the costs as civil war looms

BANGKOK - In the first few weeks after the Feb 1 coup in Myanmar, hopeful protesters circulated a map showing where some of the country's ethnic armed groups could attack the military regime to spread its forces thin.

On Tuesday (March 30), that possibility came a step closer to reality when an alliance of three armed groups issued a statement demanding that the Myanmar military "immediately stop violently cracking down on peaceful protesters and killing innocent civilians" and address the public's political demands.