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Shots Fired at Burma Protest

Monks continue march as tensions with police escalate

By Jane Yager, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 26, 2007 3:56 AM CDT

(Newser) – Buddhist monks and pro-democracy activists clashed with riot police today as they continued their protest in defiance of the Myanmar regime's ban on public assembly. Police in Yangon fired warning shots and tear gas, chased and beat monks, dragged protesters into waiting trucks, and beat their shields with batons while shouting orders to disperse, CNN reports.

Thousands of demonstrators marched onward to the center of Yangon after the confrontation with police. Meanwhile, one prominent anti-government activist was taken from his home by authorities. The escalating tensions come after the announcement yesterday by President Bush of new US sanctions against Myanmar. The European Union has also threatened stronger sanctions if the military regime violently suppresses the demonstrations.

In this image released by the Democratic Voice of Burma, people protest against the military government in Yangon Myanmar Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007. It was the eighth day of street demonstrations against... (Associated Press)

In this image released by the Democratic Voice of Burma, Buddhist monks defied orders to stay off the streets and marched against the military government. Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007, in downtown Yangon,... (Associated Press)

Buddhist monks protest against the military junta in Yangon, Myanmar, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007. The orange-robed monks, cheered on by supporters, marched out from Yangon's soaring Shwedagon Pagoda, while... (Associated Press)

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Monks continue march as tensions with police escalate

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