Burma steps up protest clampdown

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Although troops in the capital Rangoon fired warning shots in the air and used clubs to violently break up one group of about 2,000 people, crowds were much smaller than the tens of thousands earlier this week.

The ruling military junta ordered soldiers to occupy key Buddhist monasteries to confine monks who have lead the anti-government protests.

A no-go zone has been declared around five key Buddhist monasteries. "We were told security forces had the monks under control" and will now turn their attention to civilian protesters, one diplomat said.

There were also reports that the country's public internet access has been cut. It has been used to send many of the pictures and much of the information about what is happening there. Foreign journalists are banned from the country.

At least 10 people have been killed in two days of violence in the country's largest cities, including a Japanese cameraman who was shot when soldiers with automatic rifles fired into crowds on Thursday.

Bob Davis, Australia's ambassador to Burma, said he had heard unconfirmed reports that the death toll following two days of violence was "several times" higher. Hundreds of people have been arrested, taken away in trucks at night or pummelled with batons.

The violence came after about 20 trucks packed with soldiers arrived at the area near Sule Pagoda and announced over loudspeakers: "We give you 10 minutes to move out from the road. Otherwise we will fire."

A handful of protesters who charged the soldiers were beaten back and the rest suffered the same fate before running away. Soldiers dispersed the other protesters, beating them with clubs and firing shots in the air.

In other areas of Rangoon security forces moved quickly to disperse small crowds of 200 to 300 almost as soon as they started marching, sealing off at least one area and firing warning shots. But by Burmese standards, the crackdown has so far been muted, in part because the regime knows that killing monks could trigger a massive angry backlash.