Cyclone Disaster in Burma

(Newser) - Burmese bloggers whose accounts and photos of the Saffron Revolution and the brutal crackdown by the military dictatorship riveted the world last week are now  being hunted by authorities, reports the Times of London. With the Internet shut down and the streets swarming with troops, the bloggers have gone underground. More »

(Newser) - The United Nations' envoy to Burma met briefly today with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to discuss the violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrations, reports AP. The UN representative first met with leaders of the military junta, which continued to lock down the nation's largest cities in the wake of  violent reprisals that killed at least 10 protesters. More »

(Newser) - Troops faced off with several hundred pro-democracy protesters again today in central  Yangon as a UN envoy arrived in Myanmar to try to persuade military rulers to negotiate peacefully with demonstrators. There were scattered reports of violence, but no gunfire. With soldiers stationed on every corner and shopping malls, grocery stores, and public parks closed, few residents ventured outside, Reuters reports. More »

(Newser) - Buddhist monks in Burma aren't the only religious brethren getting the word out on the internet these days: many American monasteries are so wired they not only correspond via email and sell-hand-crafted products over the internet, they use it to recruit new brothers. One web site, VocationsPlacement.org, matches religious communities with individuals drawn to the contemplative life, Reuters reports. More »

(Newser) - A brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters continued after a bloody confrontation yesterday when soldiers shot dead at least nine people,  including a Japanese news photographer. Troops again opened fire on demonstrators today, cut internet connections and sealed monasteries as crowds defied orders from the ruling military junta to disperse. Five monasteries were sealed with barbed-wire barricades guarded by soldiers. More »

(Newser) - Eyewitness accounts posted on a Burmese expat site offer rare details of Myanmar's brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. One post today described an early-morning raid on a monastery where soldiers broke down the gate with a truck, and attacked monks, along with women and children in their care, with bamboo sticks, before hauling away 100. More »