Tens of Thousands Support Monks in Burma Protests

Tens of thousands of people joined around 10,000 Buddhist monks in Rangoon today in the biggest demonstration against military rule in Burma for twenty years.

The monks were also supported by two of the country's best-known celebrities, as speculation mounted that prime minister Gordon Brown will voice his support for the protests at the labor Party conference today.

So far, the ruling military has shown unexpected restraint in its handling of the protests, which have entered their sixth day. Experts claim the rulers are under pressure not to use heavy-handed tactics from China, Burma's key trading partner.

The monks began today's protests with prayers at Rangoon's Shwedgaon pagoda, Burma's holiest Buddhist shrine.

In the central city of Mandalay, 500-600 monks set off shortly after noon on their own protest march.

The monks, who have taken over a faltering protest movement from political activists, have managed to bring people into the streets in numbers not seen since a 1988 pro-democracy uprising snuffed out by the army at a cost of thousands of lives.

The protests began in August as a movement against economic hardship, after the government sharply raised fuel prices, increasing the overall cost of living.

But arrests and intimidation kept demonstrations small and scattered until the monks entered the fray.

The number of monks marching through Rangoon in the last six days has been matched or out numbered by civilian supporters.

Kyaw Thu, a popular actor, joined a comedian known as Zargana, in offering up food and water to monks gathered at the Shwedagon.

"We are Buddhist. All Buddhist have to support this movement," Kyaw Thu said. "We will do whatever we have to do take care of the monks. They are doing a lot on behalf of the people."

Mr Brown is believed to be poised to announce an aid package for Burma, and is said to be ready to back the protest at his speech to the labor conference this afternoon.

On Sunday, about 20,000 people including thousands of monks filled the streets in Rangoon and chanted support for the detained democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who stepped out to greet supporters a day earlier.

The increasingly confrontational tone of the anti-government protesters has raised both expectations of possible political change and fear the military might forcefully stamp out the demonstrations, as it did in 1988.

China has been putting pressure on the Burmese regime behind the scenes to move toward democracy and speed up reform.

A Burmese expert, Josef Silverstein, said it would not be in China's interest to have civil unrest in Burma.

"China is very eager to have a peaceful Burma in order to complete roads and railroads, to develop mines and finish assimilating the country under its economic control," he told Associated Press. He added: "As long as there is war or potential for war, that doesn't serve China's interest at all."

Larry Jagan, a Bangkok-based analyst, added: "The Chinese, the Indians, the (Southeast Asian countries) are not going to be prepared to see civilians shot mercilessly by soldiers."

The protest movement intensified on Saturday, when more than 500 monks and sympathizers went past barricades to walk to the house where Suu Kyi is under house-arrest.

She greeted them from her gate in her first public appearance in more than four years. But access to her home was barred yesterday.