Police, Protests, and Legitimacy - A Case of Myanmar

In Myanmar, military governance has predominated, with a brief interlude from 2011 to 2020 under a quasi-democratic government. The 2021 coup, orchestrated by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, ended this period and reinstated military rule. To quell dissent, the regime responded in various ways, including mobilizing the Myanmar Police Force (MPF). This study analyzes 78 news articles from Myanmar's state-controlled newspaper and examines the MPF's post-coup activities from the perspectives of legitimacy and policing. The findings reveal the key frames employed to justify the MPF's use of force, including authority, institutional protocol, public safety, and threats to police. These frames align MPF actions with the principles of formal rationality and legitimacy. By highlighting a non-Western authoritarian context, this study contributes to the discourse on police legitimacy and public protests. These findings underscore how state media in authoritarian regimes shape perceptions of police actions and legitimacy, offering insights into the complexities of policing in diverse political landscapes.