Curfews imposed in Burmese towns

Curfews have been imposed in the Burmese towns of Rangoon and Mandalay as fears that pro-democracy protests will be crushed by the military rulers continue to grow.

Residents reported that the dusk to dawn curfews were announced on loudspeakers in the towns which have witnessed huge demonstrations over the past few days.

World leaders have urged the Burmese government to show restraint in the face of the growing civil dissent.

But there are reports that armed riot police are gathering in sidestreets ahead of a possible operation to end the protests by force.

In London, Gordon Brown called for an "immediate international action" to stave off any military crackdown as around 10,000 monks defied warnings by the ruling generals and took to the streets chanting "democracy, democracy".

US President George W Bush also issued sanctions against Burma's military rulers and urged other countries to follow suit.

He said: "The United States will tighten economic sanctions on the leaders of the regime and their financial backers.

"We will impose an expanded visa ban on those responsible for the most egregious violations of human rights."

After demonstrators left the area around the Sule Pagoda in central Yangon, the destination of a week of marches by the deeply revered maroon-robed monks, riot police and troops moved in.

Eight trucks arrived with police carrying shields, batons and rifles while 11 army trucks packed with soldiers also drove in, suggesting the rulers, or junta, is filling up the city centre to counter any attempt at a repeat, witnesses said.

The area around the Sule Pagoda was the scene of the worst bloodshed during a crackdown on nationwide pro-democracy protests in 1988 in which 3,000 people are thought to have been killed.

In letters to the current holder of the European Union presidency, Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates, and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, Mr Brown called for a warning to Rangoon of tougher sanctions if there is a crackdown.

He told Mr Ban he would support an urgent visit to Burma by UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, as well as discussions at the UN Security Council.

And Foreign Secretary David Miliband told Labour's conference: "The situation there is tense, the world wants to see restraint from the authorities.

"But I also want to say this. I for one thought it was brilliant to see Aung San Suu Kyi alive and well outside her house last week. I think it will be 100 times better when she takes her rightful place as the elected leader of a free and democratic Burma."

Meanwhile, in Taunggok, a coastal city 250 miles northwest of Yangon, up to 40,000 monks and civilians took to the streets as the campaign against 45 years of military rule swelled in size.

In a gesture of defiance, some waved the bright red "fighting peacock" flag, emblem of the student unions that spearheaded a the 1988 uprising, one the darkest episodes in Burma's modern history.

Vehicles mounted with loudspeakers toured the city in the morning blaring out threats of action under a law allowing the use of military force to break up illegal protests.

The broadcasts said: "People are not to follow, encourage or take part in these marches. Action will be taken against those who violate this order."

A stall-holder said: "I'm really worried about the possible outbreak of violence. We know from experience that these people never hesitate to do what they want."

China, the closest the generals have to an ally, has remained silent apart from calling for national reconciliation and a "democracy process that is appropriate for the country".

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.