Pro-democracy demonstrators continue to defy the authorities in Burma for an 11th consecutive day. At least one shot was fired as soldiers charged chanting protesters, a witness has told Reuters. The regime appears to be attempting to shut down internet access. There have been reports of infighting among the army.
Scroll down and refresh for updates, reaction, and your chance to comment.
8.30am (BST)
The deaths of at least nine people yesterday has done little to snuff out the flames of protest as demonstrators take to the streets of Rangoon for an 11th consecutive day.
People are hurling abuse at the army, Reuters wire service reports, in the city centre and taking refuge in side alleys as troops feign charges.
Men were shouting at the soldiers in English:
"Fuck you. Go fuck yourself."
Trucks of soldiers and riot police have been sealing off the centre of the city, near the Sule Pagoda area, Reuters says, moving wooden and barbed-wire barricades block by block.
9am
The Associated Press is reporting that troops have occupied key Buddhist monasteries to confine monks. A British journalist, Rosalind Russel, who is in Burma, has told Sky News that there is speculation that the monks may no longer be there. There are reports that they have been bused out of the city.
The authorities also appear to have taken measures to cut Burma's internet connection with the outside world.
"We have been told that the internet is down for maintenance. There is only one server in the country so when it the internet cannot be accessed," Rosalind said.
9.05am
At least one shot was fired as soldiers charged chanting protesters in central Rangoon today, sending people scurrying for cover down side alleys, a witness has told Reuters. Crowds several hundred strong were taunting soldiers sealing off the area around the Sule Pagoda.
9.20am
A different view comes from Andrew Kirkwood who is in Rangoon for Save the Children. He told Sky News that his office is about a mile from the Shwedagon pagoda and has not seen any signs of widspread protests.
"Buses are running and schools are open. Outside of these so-called danger zones, life continues relatively normally."
He confirmed that internet and email access went down at around 10.30am (5amBST) and haven't been restored.
10am
Guardian Unlimited reported yesterday that elements within the Burmese army appeared to be siding with the protesting monks. Today there are reports, picked up by moeyyo.com, that one section of the military is fighting another.
According to the unconfirmed reports:
Soldiers between Light Battalion 33 and 99 are fighting.
10.30am
Preetam Rai writes that the 33 batalion allowed monks to continue their protests in Mandalay, Burma's second city, yesterday. That may provide a clue to what's behind the reported fighting between the 33 and 99. I've yet to see reports of any army casualties or hear how widespread army disquiet might be - do let me know if you're aware of any details.
11am
The Thai government, which has kept quiet in recent days about the problems in neighbouring Burma, is coming under pressure to take a stance, the Bangkok Post reports.
Laddawan Tantiwittayapitak, of Amnesty International Thailand and the Campaign for Democracy in Burma, called on the Thai government to suspended the construction of a hydropower dam and a gas purchase contract.
11.15am
Here's a taste of what Niknayman is reporting (the times are local, 5hrs30mins ahead of BST and the text has been translated for GU by Mai Aung):
8:56: According to an eye witness, last night at South Ukkalapa, young and
middle age men including monks were arrested and taken away with 37 trucks.
8:57: Last night, the abbot Moe Kaung Sayadaw of Yankin monastery passed
away because of violent raid happened at the monastery.
9:04: Last night, 300 monks from Daw pone were arrested.
9:18: Division 33 army force refused to shoot the people in Mandalay. The
government ordered Division. 33 to move out of Mandalay but they refused to
follow the order.
9:29: The soldiers traced the media people. Yesterday the computers at
Traders Hotel and Sakura Hotle were checked by soldiers.
11:45: Last night 40 monks were arrested in Mandalay.
11:50: About ten thousand people gathered near Traders hotel in downtown
Rangoon.
12:00: started shooting at North Ukkalapa.
12:49: As division 33 did not follow the order, the government sent
division 99 by airplane to Yangon.
12:55: about 50,000 gathered at Thein Gyi Zay (market).
12:56: Division 66 in North Ukkalapa teamed up with the people.
13:01: There was confrontation and clash between Division 33 and Division 99
13:13: About 10,000 people are gathering at Sanpya market.
14:35: At Anawratha street in downtown, people and soldiers got into brawl and now shooting started at Sanpya market.
14:36: Soldiers beaten the teachers in North Ukkalapa who organized the crowd for demonstration.
15:01: It is hard to communicate now as some of the telephone lines were cut off.
11.30am
Australia's ambassador to Burma, Bob Davis, has told ABC (mp3) that a "signifantly" larger number of people had been killed than the 10 acknowledged by the Burmese authoritities. He said the real number of those killed in yesterday's violence was likely to be "several multiples of 10".
The regime has done nothing other than to inflame the demonstrators. The violence against the crowds and assaults of a large number of monastries, severe beatings of monks and arrests of hundreds of monks ... has done nothing other than isolate some of the communities of monks ... It is very tense.
12.15pm
The Burma Facebook group, which now has close to 90,000 members, is developing into a self-contained Wiki with details about global protests and Burmese media lists.
12.45pm
Thanks to Chisinthemorning for the comment below linking to the Democratic Voice of Burma account of locals defending monasteries against army raids.
Troops approaching the monasteries backed off after seeing people from the surrounding areas armed with sticks and slingshots preparing to stop them.
1.15pm
We've updated our interactive of events in Burma, by the way.
The bloggers are struggling to get their message out today, following the attempts to close down the internet. Ko Htike, based in London, however, says he is determined to feed pictures of events to the outside world.
2.30pm
Some more translation from Niknaynam, courtesy of Mai Aung:
16:30: In Mandalay there are more than 100, 000 and military stepped back. No gun shots yet.
16:42: According eye witnesses, there were pools of blood in Pansodan street. The person must be beaten by an iron bar.
16:47: Latest news: ICRC (International Committee of Red Cross) took to the streets to help the injured.
17:05: In Mandalay, 30,000 people joined 200 monks that are protesting at 31 street. Soldiers begged the monks to go back to monasteries.
18:22: Police station at South Ukkalapa was burnt down.
A woman interviewed by Sky News has suggested the deathtoll among monks is close to 200. That is consistent with the number being given by the Facebook group. It is not yet clear, however, where these reports are coming from or what they are based upon.
2.45pm
Japan's prime minister Yasuo Fukuda today demanded that Burmese authorities give a full explanation of the shooting dead of a Japanese journalist during protests yesterday. I've been looking at a video which appears to show the moment the journalist was shot. Even at slow motion and under zoom, it's not clear cut - to me at any rate - whether the killer is the soldier closest to the journalist or whether the shot is fired from further away. Not that that changes the fact that he was shot dead.
3pm
A Japanese news channel has secured footage of the shooting from a different angle. The soldier closest to the victim does appear to have fired the shot.
3.15pm
While the protests continue, it appears the Burmese prime minister, Soe Win, could still be in hospital in Singapore. According to the Straight Times - spotted by Kadaung, AFP reporters made an attempt to track him down.
When an AFP reporter visited the four-bed VIP room where he was listed as staying, a nurse said Soe Win was not there. A board showed the names of patients in the room, but all were Chinese. One bed was sealed off with a curtain.
The BBC reported in March that the prime minister was admitted into hospital, possibly suffering from leukaemia.
4pm
Reuters is suggesting a series of scenarios of how the situation in Burma may play out over the coming days, ranging from a military crackdown to people power toppling the junta ... or something in between.
4.15pm
The Irrawaddy is suggesting that the army disquiet about how to handle the protests goes right to the top.
Unconfirmed reports say there are unusual troop movements underway in Rangoon, amid reports that Snr-Gen Than Shwe, the junta's chief, and Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, his second in command and the commander in chief of the army, have disagreed over the response to the recent demonstrations.
Maung Aye is planning to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi and is disturbed by the bloody crackdown, diplomatic sources have told the Irrawaddy.
It adds that Suu Kyi has been taken to Yemon Military Camp on the outskirts of Rangoon.
5pm
We're well into the curfew now so things should be quiet theoretically, but our translator Mai has just sent this through.
21.01: At this time, the military are coming to seal the Barkayar and the Aung Mingalar monasteries.
21.02: One Singaporean was injured by rubber bullets.
21.29: Soldiers are raiding the monasteries and have started shooting onlookers.
5.30pm
Mizzima News carries more details about the apparent rift between the junta chief Than Shwe and his second in command Maung Aye.
"Maung Aye and his loyalists are opposed to shooting into the crowd," a source close to the military hierarchy told Mizzima.
