Burma's junta eases curfew

Loudspeakers mounted on trucks drove through downtown Yangon and residential townships, announcing that the curfew would from now on run from 10pm to 4am, two hours shorter than the 9pm to 5am period announced a week ago.

The restrictions, which included the designation of Rangoon as a 'restricted area', were announced last Tuesday just before the government launched a bloody crackdown on the protests, leaving at least 13 dead and 1,000 in detention.

People, cars and buses were returning to the streets of the former capitalon Tuesday, as residents tried to get back to work, but the atmosphere remained tense and key monasteries continued to be blockaded.

Although the security presence has dropped off since Monday, soldiers were still stationed at the main rallying points.

Soldiers stood guard outside the Shwedagon Pagoda, while at a nearby monastery, security forces could be seen within the compound.

In the northeastern township of South Okkalapa, one of the monasteries raided there last week remained under heavy security with six military trucks parked outside.

Meanwhile Swedish and Danish media reported that Burmese officials are allegedly urging several Swedish and Danish news media outlets to withdraw their correspondents from the country for their own safety, AHN online reported Tuesday.

According to Swedish and Danish reporters, they have been contacted by a man who introduced himself as Burmese's police authority representative.

They said that a man named Hay Chu, offered tabloid journalists a "safe passage home." The man who identifies himself as Chu said, "Police can no longer guarantee the safety of foreigners."

Meanwhile, Danish news media said they have been receiving calls of a similar nature.

However, both Swedish and Danish news media have not confirmed if they have journalists inside Myanmar. They claim their journalists reporting on the recent massive anti-regime protests in the troubled country are all stationed elsewhere, the online said.