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| Burma monasteries in night raids | Burma monasteries in night raids |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Witnesses say security forces in Burma have launched raids on monasteries and arrested scores of monks, as they try to stem a rising tide of protests. | Witnesses say security forces in Burma have launched raids on monasteries and arrested scores of monks, as they try to stem a rising tide of protests. |
| About 100 Buddhist monks were reported to have been held when a monastery in the east of the main city, Rangoon, was stormed overnight, witnesses said. | About 100 Buddhist monks were reported to have been held when a monastery in the east of the main city, Rangoon, was stormed overnight, witnesses said. |
| It followed reports of several deaths when police broke up demonstrations by monks and civilians on Wednesday. | It followed reports of several deaths when police broke up demonstrations by monks and civilians on Wednesday. |
| The UN Security Council has called on Burma's military junta for restraint. | The UN Security Council has called on Burma's military junta for restraint. |
| A witness to one of the monastery raids said she heard shouting and screaming. | A witness to one of the monastery raids said she heard shouting and screaming. |
| There are also reports of raids in the north-east of the country. | There are also reports of raids in the north-east of the country. |
| Key locations of Rangoon democracy protestsEnlarge Map | |
| On Wednesday the UN Security Council in New York met in emergency session to discuss the crisis. | On Wednesday the UN Security Council in New York met in emergency session to discuss the crisis. |
| The US and European Union wanted the council to consider imposing sanctions - but that was rejected by China. | |
| The United States ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, called on Burma's government to meet the UN's special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari. | |
| The talks at the UN took place after the Burmese security forces beat-up and fired tear-gas at protesters in Rangoon. | The talks at the UN took place after the Burmese security forces beat-up and fired tear-gas at protesters in Rangoon. |
| Burmese authorities confirmed that one man was killed and there were reports of at least two other deaths. | Burmese authorities confirmed that one man was killed and there were reports of at least two other deaths. |
| US President George W Bush has already announced a tightening of US economic sanctions against Burma. | |
| But China's UN ambassador, Wang Guangya, said that sanctions against Burma's military rulers would not be "helpful". | |
| China and Russia have argued that the situation in Burma is a purely internal matter. Both vetoed a UN resolution critical of Burma's rulers last January. | |
| Experts say the hope remains that China - a permanent member of the council and a key importer of Burmese energy resources - may use its powerful influence behind the scenes to persuade the regime to show restraint. | |
| Battle of wills | |
| The G8, the world's eight most industrialised countries, warned Burma's ruling generals that they would be held accountable for their actions but stopped short of calling for sanctions. | |
| Analysts fear a repeat of the violence in 1988, when troops opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing thousands. | |
| The confrontation in Burma has become a battle of wills between the country's two most powerful institutions, the military and the monkhood, and the outcome is still unclear, the BBC's South East Asia correspondent, Jonathan Head, says. | |
| The junta are using dirty tactics - they don't fire guns but beat people with rifle butts BBC News website reader Accounts from Burma Text: Burma confirms death In quotes: Global reaction | |
| A clampdown on the media by Burma's military government - which has banned gatherings of five people or more in addition to imposing a curfew - has made following the exact course of the protests difficult. | |
| It is known that on Wednesday thousands of monks and opposition activists moved away from Shwedagon pagoda, heading for Sule pagoda in the city centre. | |
| Troops fired tear gas and live rounds over the protesters' heads - for the first time since protests began nine days ago. | |
| The Burmese state radio station, Radio Myanmar, reported that one person had been killed and three others injured - the first official confirmation that the violence had caused casualties. | |
| Earlier, a hospital source in Rangoon told the BBC that the monks were beaten with rifle butts, and that taxi drivers had transported the injured to nearby medical facilities. | |
| There were unconfirmed reports of at least three deaths on Wednesday, including a civilian, and two monks who were killed near the Shwedagon pagoda. State radio spoke only of one death. |