Five truckloads of soldiers were seen heading downtown in Myanmar's largest city Tuesday soon after tens of thousands of people led by Buddhist monks defied orders to stay off the streets and marched in another peaceful anti-government protest.

Monks have taken over leadership of anti-government protests that began over a month ago, leading marches for the past eight days that are the largest anti-government protests since a 1988 pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed by the military.

The soldiers' movements in Yangon followed announcements by the junta earlier in the day warning monks not to take part in the demonstrations and the public to stay at home or risk arrest.

Two army divisions were either already in or moving toward Yangon from outlying areas, including the 22nd, which took part in the suppression of the 1988 uprising, according to diplomats and ethnic guerrillas.

''They (the 22nd) are leaving Karen State to go to Yangon. They could get there pretty quickly. By tomorrow, maybe today,'' said Col Ner Dah Mya, a leader of the Karen National Union, which is fighting the central government.

 "Myanmar's military junta ordered troops and riot police to pagodas and Buddhist monasteries Wednesday to stop the mass protests that have marked the biggest challenge to the regime in 20 years.

Authorities also imposed a night-time curfew and a ban on public gatherings -- and were reportedly arresting activists -- to prevent a repeat of demonstrations that have drawn up to 100,000 people onto the streets.

Witnesses said security forces were deployed around the Shwedagon and Sule pagodas in Myanmar's biggest city Yangon, which have been focal points for the marches led by the country's revered Buddhist monks.

The pagodas were not closed but everyone was searched before being allowed to enter."

Yangon (Rangoon) is 3 1/2 hours behind Australian Eastern Standard Time.

This Google Map shows Yangon, with the Shewdagon and Sule Pagodas marked.

At least five people, including a Japanese photographer, were killed in Myanmar's main city on Thursday when soldiers and police fired on crowds protesting against decades of military rule and economic hardship.

Witnesses said scores of protesters had been wounded or beaten in at least three or four incidents around Yangon after soldiers told residents they had 10 minutes to clear the city centre streets or risk getting shot.

Some monks and people enter homes
Saboteurs threaten families demanding them to join protest if not provide cash, kind
Authorities urge people to make complaints in person or on line to Ward PDCs, Township PDCs or local
authorities against intimidations, extortions, coercion

NAY PYI TAW, 26 Sept � The government has been striving day and night together with the people for the emergence of a peaceful, modern and developed discipline-flourishing democratic nation.

As the government has been endeavouring to ensure stability of State, community peace, the rule of law and national development that are the main requirements, the national races in all regions are practically enjoying the fruits of national peace and development.

However, saboteurs from inside and outside the nation and some foreign radio stations, who are jealous of national peace and development, have been making instigative acts through lies to cause internal instability and civil commotion. Hence, some members of the Sangha, anti-government groups and saboteurs were staging protest walks.

Some foreign broadcasting stations and destructionists have been issuing announcements, requests and leaflets as if the entire people were taking part in the protests participated by only some monks and people just to intensify the rowdy demonstrations.

The people who wish to earn their living in peace do not accept or take part in the protests. Thus, some saboteurs of the protest walks forcibly urged families of the homes all along their route, whether they know them or not, to provide alms and other requisites for monks.

Those saboteurs told the families that if they failed to yield to their demand, the protesters would not take care of their personal and property safety. Moreover, they threatened the families demanding them to join the protest or provide financial assistance, adding, the protesters would not guarantee the security of the lives and property of the families. The saboteurs were acting like extortionists in a threatening way. Moreover, some protester monks entered homes and demanded families to offer soft drinks, urging families who could not join the strike to make donations for the convenience of administrative affairs. According to those families, they had never seen or known those so-called monks in the past and they were not their mentor monks.

Some families filed complaints about the threats to the authorities, saying that they had to pay the protesters from forty or fifty thousand kyats to one lakh as extortion money.

The authorities have informed the people to file complaints in person or on line to the respective Ward Peace and Development Councils, Township PDCs or local authorities against intimidations, extortions or acts to force them to join the protest against their wish. The authorities have also urged families to make complaints against extortionists by name if they know them well and to live with security awareness.

Karen Percy, correspondent from the ABC (Australia)'s PM program, says she talked to a witness who described $4 500 (not $4 000) being stolen by soldiers who broke into a monastery:

In one instance, we heard from a witness who believes that the soldiers trying to get into one in central Rangoon in fact rammed through the gate when the monks wouldn't let them in voluntarily. They rounded up, arrested the men, seized about $4,500 and then this morning this witness is saying that he went to visit that monastery and saw blood and bullet casings at the monastery.