Rangoon and Mandalay, two cities were locked in horn on small fuel hike protest to large size pro democracy protest of Buddhist monks who are revered in Burmese society and the youths shouting insults at thousands of armed police and soldiers who have been deployed on the streets to curb the campaign.

Scientists in the United States say satellite evidence confirms reports of human rights abuses in eastern Burma between mid-2006 and early 2007.

French oil group Total says it has not made any new acquisitions or investments in Burma since 1998, after French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday urged the company to freeze investments in the southeast Asian country.

The United Nation's special envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, is due to arrive in the country shortly to mediate between the ruling military junta and pro-democracy demonstrators.

A new analysis of high-resolution satellite images -- completed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) -- pinpoints evidence consistent with village destruction, forced relocations, and a growing military presence at 25 sites across eastern Burma where eye-witnesses have reported human rights violations.

Esteves, the Portuguese ambassador says the European Union wants the military junta to release all political prisoners, and also pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi. He urges the Burmese military to allow the expert, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, to enter the country to conduct his investigation. Pinheiro, who is critical of Burma's human rights record, has been refused entry.

Paddy Briggs, a former executive of Royal Dutch Shell has written an important article stimulated by current events in Burma.

Burma's generals appeared to have cut public internet access to prevent more videos, photographs and information about their crackdown on the biggest protests against military rule in nearly 20 years being released to the world.

Burma's military government says its security forces killed nine people and wounded 11 others in Rangoon on the second day of a bloody crackdown against protesters.

Police and soldiers in Burma's main city have opened fire for a second day to disperse demonstrators. A Japanese journalist is among the victims of the violence in Rangoon. Earlier, security forces raided monasteries and took away scores of monks accused of leading the protests, which analysts say are the biggest challenge the military government has faced in decades.

Witnesses in the Burmese city of Rangoon say at least 100 Buddhist monks were arrested overnight when security forces raided a monastery. There are also reports of a second monastery raid, with a similar number arrested.

One person has reportedly been shot dead and five others injured in Burma as the military moves against anti-government protesters.