AP

Posted: 2007-09-28 07:33:26

BANGKOK, Sept. 28 (Kyodo) – (EDS: UPDATING)

Several hundred people skirmished with security forces in Myanmar ’s largest city on Friday, a day after the bloodiest crackdown on antigovernment protests in almost a fortnight of mass protests led by monks, according to information from Yangon.

Crowds of people skirmished with security troops in four different places around Sule Pagoda. The troops dispersed the demonstrators by plowing their vehicles into them, according to the information.

Most of the roads in the area have been blocked. In eastern and northern parts of the city, several Buddhist monasteries have been occupied by troops.

The Associated Press quoted witnesses as saying soldiers fired warning shots and hit protesters with clubs to break up a demonstration by about 2,000 people.

Five of the protesters were seen being dragged into a truck and driven away, the report said.

The clash in an area near Sule Pagoda was the most serious among several sporadic protests that were reported Friday in Yangon, according to the AP.

Reuters news agency quoted a witness as saying a shot was fired as soldiers charged protesters in central Yangon, sending people scurrying for cover down side alleys.

Several hundred people were reportedly “taunting” soldiers sealing off the area around Sule Pagoda, the end-point of a week of monk-led marches against military rule and economic hardship, the report said.

The AP said troops occupied Buddhist monasteries to confine monks who have spearheaded protests, raising concerns they may be preparing to intensify a deadly crackdown on civilians.

Residents were quoted as saying the government also appears to have cut all public Internet access, which has played a crucial role in telling the world about the pro-democracy protests.

Violent clashes between junta forces and pro-democracy demonstrators rocked Yangon for a second day Thursday, resulting in at least nine fatalities.

State-run TV reported the deaths of eight protesters as well as a Japanese man it said had been documenting the protests and clashes with a video camera.

One person was also killed in the government’s crackdown on protests Wednesday, according to state-run television.