.Burmese military threatens monks
Burma's ruling military junta has warned it is ready to "take action" against Buddhist monks leading mounting protests, state media have reported.
Brig Gen Thura Myint Maung, minister for religion, warned them not to break Buddhist "rules and regulations" as Rangoon saw the largest march yet.
He blamed the protests on "destructive elements" opposed to peace in Burma.
President George W Bush is set to announce fresh US sanctions on Burmese leaders, the White House says.
The sanctions, which will include a ban on US visas, will be announced during Mr Bush's speech at the United Nations on Tuesday, US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said.
The military government has so far showed restraint against the protests.
Monks are highly revered in Burma and correspondents say any move by the junta to crush their demonstrations would spark an outcry.
But there are fears of a repeat of 1988, correspondents say, when the last democracy uprising was crushed by the military and some 3,000 people were killed.
'Communist plot'
Some monks' representatives had called for the entire country to join them in their campaign to overthrow the government, which began eight days ago.
Monday saw marches in at least 25 towns and cities, including Mandalay, Sittwe and Pakokku.
Turnout estimates in Rangoon, Burma's biggest city, range from 50,000 to 100,000.
According to state media, the minister for religion spoke after meeting senior members of the Buddhist clergy, whom he warned to control the militant young monks who appear to be leading the current street protests.
In the first public response by the junta to the mass protests, he said action would be taken against the monks' protest marches "according to the law if they cannot be stopped by religious teachings".
No further details were forthcoming, but there was no hint of reconciliation in the government's message, BBC Asia correspondent Andrew Harding reports.
State television said the demonstrations of the past week were being fomented by communists and exiled media and student groups.
Dalai Lama appeal
Our correspondent says Monday's marches are a show of defiance unthinkable just a few weeks ago.
Five columns of monks, one reportedly stretching for more than 1km (0.6 miles), entered the city centre to cheers and applause from thousands of bystanders.
Civilians who joined in included officials from the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party, led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
The authorities are likely to be under huge pressure from their close neighbour China to avoid bloodshed and instability, our correspondent notes.
But if the demonstrations continue, he adds, the generals may see their authority ebb away and their options narrow.
The European Union has urged the junta to show the "utmost restraint" in dealing with the protests and to take the opportunity to "launch a process of real political reform".
The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has given his backing to the monks' call for freedom and democracy but urged the military not to react with violence to the protests.
UK Ambassador Mark Canning said Burma's leaders were now in uncharted territory and he expressed concern about a possible government counter-reaction.
"That... would be a disaster, although in terms of probability it, I'm afraid, ranks quite high," he told the BBC.
Detained leader
A hard-core group of more than 1,000 of the maroon-robed monks and 400 sympathisers went to Aung San Suu Kyi's street at the end of Monday's march, the Associated Press reported.
They chanted a prayer for peace in the face of the riot police blocking access to her home, where she is under house arrest, before dispersing peacefully.
Monks have been urging Burmese people to hold 15-minute evening prayer vigils.
The organisation that has emerged to lead the protests, the Alliance of All Burmese Buddhist Monks, has vowed to continue marches until it has "wiped the military dictatorship from the land".
The protests were triggered by the government's decision to double the price of fuel last month, hitting people hard in the impoverished nation.
BBC
All the dictators say the same crap. It never occurs to them to open up the system and let more people participate
Brig Gen Thura Myint Maung, minister for religion, warned them not to break Buddhist "rules and regulations" as Rangoon saw the largest march yet.
He blamed the protests on "destructive elements" opposed to peace in Burma.
President George W Bush is set to announce fresh US sanctions on Burmese leaders, the White House says.
The sanctions, which will include a ban on US visas, will be announced during Mr Bush's speech at the United Nations on Tuesday, US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said.
The military government has so far showed restraint against the protests.
Monks are highly revered in Burma and correspondents say any move by the junta to crush their demonstrations would spark an outcry.
But there are fears of a repeat of 1988, correspondents say, when the last democracy uprising was crushed by the military and some 3,000 people were killed.
'Communist plot'
Some monks' representatives had called for the entire country to join them in their campaign to overthrow the government, which began eight days ago.
PROTESTS MOUNT
15 Aug: Junta doubles fuel prices, sparking protests
5 Sept: Troops injure several monks at a protest in Pakokku
17 Sept: The junta's failure to apologise for the injuries draws fresh protests by monks
18-21 Sept: Daily marches by monks in Burmese cities gradually gather in size
22 Sept: 1,000 monks march to the home of Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon
23 Sept: Up to 20,000 march in Rangoon
24 Sept: New Rangoon march draws at least 50,000 and 24 other towns join in
Monday saw marches in at least 25 towns and cities, including Mandalay, Sittwe and Pakokku.
Turnout estimates in Rangoon, Burma's biggest city, range from 50,000 to 100,000.
According to state media, the minister for religion spoke after meeting senior members of the Buddhist clergy, whom he warned to control the militant young monks who appear to be leading the current street protests.
In the first public response by the junta to the mass protests, he said action would be taken against the monks' protest marches "according to the law if they cannot be stopped by religious teachings".
No further details were forthcoming, but there was no hint of reconciliation in the government's message, BBC Asia correspondent Andrew Harding reports.
State television said the demonstrations of the past week were being fomented by communists and exiled media and student groups.
Dalai Lama appeal
Our correspondent says Monday's marches are a show of defiance unthinkable just a few weeks ago.
Five columns of monks, one reportedly stretching for more than 1km (0.6 miles), entered the city centre to cheers and applause from thousands of bystanders.
Civilians who joined in included officials from the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party, led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
The authorities are likely to be under huge pressure from their close neighbour China to avoid bloodshed and instability, our correspondent notes.
But if the demonstrations continue, he adds, the generals may see their authority ebb away and their options narrow.
The European Union has urged the junta to show the "utmost restraint" in dealing with the protests and to take the opportunity to "launch a process of real political reform".
The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has given his backing to the monks' call for freedom and democracy but urged the military not to react with violence to the protests.
UK Ambassador Mark Canning said Burma's leaders were now in uncharted territory and he expressed concern about a possible government counter-reaction.
"That... would be a disaster, although in terms of probability it, I'm afraid, ranks quite high," he told the BBC.
Detained leader
A hard-core group of more than 1,000 of the maroon-robed monks and 400 sympathisers went to Aung San Suu Kyi's street at the end of Monday's march, the Associated Press reported.
They chanted a prayer for peace in the face of the riot police blocking access to her home, where she is under house arrest, before dispersing peacefully.
Monks have been urging Burmese people to hold 15-minute evening prayer vigils.
The organisation that has emerged to lead the protests, the Alliance of All Burmese Buddhist Monks, has vowed to continue marches until it has "wiped the military dictatorship from the land".
The protests were triggered by the government's decision to double the price of fuel last month, hitting people hard in the impoverished nation.
BBC
All the dictators say the same crap. It never occurs to them to open up the system and let more people participate
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