Myanmar cities kept locked down

Yangon, Myanmar: Thousands of soldiers and police locked down Myanmar's largest cities on Sunday, keeping even the most die-hard protesters off the streets. Scores of overnight arrests further weakened an uprising to end decades of military dictatorship.

The soldiers were deployed while UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari was in Myanmar, trying to persuade its rulers to end a deadly crackdown on demonstrators that has sparked international outcry.

China and Japan also have urged their political and economic ally to resolve the crisis peacefully, but such international pressure has had little impact in the past.

The number of troops in Yangon, the largest city, swelled to about 20,000 after reinforcements arrived overnight on Sunday, ensuring that almost all demonstrators would remain off the streets, an Asian diplomat said.

"The security forces are demonstrating their strength," said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing protocol. "I think the chance of protesters coming to the road and mobilizing enough people to topple the junta is zero."

Most monks are now barricaded inside monasteries, which have been locked from outside with soldiers bearing automatic rifles standing guard.

On Sunday, a few monks were seen, going around a neighborhood on their customary morning round for alms.

"We are not going to protest any more. Rather we will conduct peaceful protests. We Buddhist believe that dhamma (Buddha's teachings) will finally win over evil," said one monk.

People suspected of leading or organizing this week's rallies continue to be arrested, the Asian diplomat said, estimating the total number could be as high as 1,000. They joined an estimated 1,100 other political detainees who have languished in jails since before the current turmoil began.

With the main prison now overcrowded, people are now being detained in university buildings and educational institutes, he said.

A resident who identified himself as Ko Hla wrote on his Internet blog that troops in downtown Yangon were searching every bag.

"If someone got caught with a camera in it, they would arrest him. They arrested anyone that they suspect," Ko Hla wrote.