Monks 'seeking to flee Rangoon'
Many monks are desperate to leave Rangoon, witnesses say
Scores of monks are trying to leave Burma's main city, Rangoon, following the military's bloody
crackdown on anti-government protests, reports say.
Witnesses said many monks were at the railway station, while bus drivers were said to be refusing
to take them out of fear they would not be allowed petrol.
Hundreds of people have now been detained, with more arrests overnight.
A UN envoy is preparing a key report on his talks with Burma's leaders amid global concern over the
situation.
The envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, met top military leaders to voice concern over the violence. He also
met pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
He is expected to brief both UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council later this
week.
Missing monks
Mr Gambari was despatched to Burma last week after police and soldiers used violence to halt
almost two weeks of anti-government protests.
Exiles in desperate conditions
The authorities said 10 people were killed, although diplomats and activists believe the number of
dead is many times higher.
Hundreds of monks - who led the protests - have been detained and sources have told the BBC they
will be sent to prisons in the far north of the country.
Other protesters are also said to be missing.
Reports from Rangoon said around 25 more monks were arrested by security forces in a raid on a
temple overnight.
Witnesses reported many monks stranded at bus stations, unable to get out of the city, and few
monks were seen on the streets.
Rangoon was said to be quiet, with troops maintaining a heavy presence and warning protesters to
stay away. An eyewitness there said that people seemed very scared.
On Tuesday the UN's top human rights official, Louise Arbour, called on the junta to give "precise
and verifiable information" on the number of dead and injured as well as "the whereabouts and
condition of those who have been arrested".
Army defector
Meanwhile, footage has emerged of a Burmese army officer who fled to Thailand in the first apparent defection since the crackdown.
The officer, whose unit was ordered to Rangoon to deal with the protests, said he did not want to
beat or shoot monks - who are revered in Burmese society.
"I knew the plan to beat and shoot the monks and if I stayed on, I would have to follow these
orders. Because I'm a Buddhist, I did not want to kill the monks," he said.
The officer is now seeking asylum abroad.
The BBC's Chris Hogg says that this is a rare split in the ranks which dissident groups will attempt to
exploit as evidence that some younger officers are opposed to the brutal crackdown by the country's
leaders.
So far, though, there is no sign that others are prepared to follow his lead, our correspondent says.