Toucan

The Burmese regime's crackdown on tens of thousands of pro-democracy protestors appears to be succeeding in its bid to crush further opposition on the streets of Yangon.

Central parts of the country's largest city, including several key monasteries like the revered Shwedagon pagoda, have been sealed off and vehicles carrying loudspeakers are warning citizens not to challenge the military government further.

Earlier a small crowd of hardened protestors gathered, but they were dispersed without the use of violence after taunting riot police.

According to reports the junta has taken steps to limit public internet availability and Yangon's streets are much quieter, in sharp contrast to the previous two days of unrest in the city in which at least 15 people died.

Yesterday security forces implemented "extreme action" against protestors refusing to disperse. Among the dead in the ensuing violence was Japanese photojournalist Kenji Nagai.

Tear gas and then livebullets were used to disperse the crowds, which featured a greater proportion of civilians than previously because of the mass arrest of hundreds of Buddhist monks.

Australia's ambassador to the country, Bob Davis, has said he believes the total death toll from the protests may be at least double the officially stated number.

Thousands of people fled in scenes reminiscent of the massacre of 3,000 individuals in a similar anti-junta crackdown in 1988, while soldiers fired warning shots above protestors' heads.

The United Nations has dispatched an envoy to Burma but most governments have criticised the country's regime. US president George Bush has announced a raft of sanctions against the Burmese government in an address to the UN, while UK prime minister Gordon Brown warned military leaders that "the eyes of the world [are] on them".

The demonstrations grew out of protests against a sudden fuel price increase by the government in mid-August and developed into a pro-democracy movement after security officials fired shots above a crowd of protesting monks on September 5th.

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