Myanmar monks stage more protests

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- Anti-government protests are continuing to get bigger in Myanmar , the Southeast Asian nation that used to be known as Burma.

Thousands are marching today: an estimated 10,000 Buddhist monks, joined by a crowd of about 10,000 people forming a human chain to protect them.

It's the sixth day that Myanmar's revered monks have staged marches. They've turned protests that began last month into the largest outcry since 1988 when Myanmar's military put down a democracy uprising.

There has been some trouble today. Unlike yesterday, police turned back monks who tried to reach the home of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi . Witnesses say the government deployed about 20 pro-regime thugs and 20 riot police on the road leading to the compound where the Nobel Peace Prize winner is being detained.

The marchers have also been trailed by plainclothes police. Some have taken up positions with shotguns, but they have not moved against the marchers.

Georgetown University Myanmar expert David Steinberg says the military seems to be handling the protests gingerly, aware that a crackdown could spark public outrage.