Security forces in Myanmar raided at least two Buddhist monasteries on the second day of their crackdown on protests, beating and arresting at least 200 monks, according to reports from the capital, Yangon.

Facing its most serious challenge since taking power in 1988, the ruling junta is attempting to contain the uprising by tens of thousands of monks who have been at the heart of more than a week of huge demonstrations against economic hardships and the political repression of the military junta.

On Wednesday, in a chaotic day of huge demonstrations, shooting, teargas and running confrontations between protesters and the military, many people were reported injured and half a dozen were reported to have been killed, most of them by gunshots.

In response to the violence, the United Nations Security Council called an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the crisis, but China blocked a Council resolution, backed by the United States and European nations, to condemn the government crackdown.

However, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced that the United Nations was "urgently dispatching" a special envoy to Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
A spokesman for President Bush, in New York City for the opening of the UN General Assembly, denounced the crackdown and urged restraint.

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