New footage from Burma's protests

Last Modified: 12 Dec 2007
By: Channel 4 News

New pictures reveal the scale of Burma's brutal crackdown against anti-government protestors as the UN delivers its damning report.

The crackle of gunfire, protestors cowering in terror. That was the scene in Burma as the government clamped down on the democracy protests.

Nearly three months on from this, Paulo Pinheiro has delivered his damning report.

"The security forces used in my opinion excessive force against civilians, including unnecessary and disproportionate lethal force." - Paulo Pinheiro - UN Human Rights Envoy to Burma

For Burma's representative it was uncomfortable reading, with Mr Pinheiro challenging the regime its reprisals and the scale of its crackdown:

"Reliable sources, believe, however, that many more monks were detained or disappeared. The monasteries are still under surveillance by the authorities. " - Paulo Pinheiro.

And it's not just the monasteries. We met with one man who recently fled Rangoon after his house was raided. He smuggled out previously unseen images of the crackdown - evidence which tallies closely with Mr Pinheiro's own findings about the excessive use of force.

They show heavily armed, psyched up soldiers arrive to confront the unarmed protestors. The men are from the Rangoon military command. Suddenly they advance and were seen shooting into the crowd.

'Reliable sources, believe, however, that many more monks were detained or disappeared'
Paulo Pinheiro, UN Human Rights Envoy to Burma

The soldiers go street to street, hunting down protestors - some coming ominously close to his camera And he witnessed how hired thugs were brought in to help rough up protestors - echoing the UN envoy's report, which says these men contributed 'to the excessive use of force' against peaceful protestors.

Certainly Mr Pinheiro, here during his fact finding mission to Rangoon, believes those killed are many more than official total of 15. Among the report's disturbing findings accounts of 'bodies with serious injuries being wrapped in bags and burned in the middle of the night- dead monks probably among them. And of dozens still being unaccounted for.

So he's demanded a full commision of inquiry to establish precisely what happened - something Burma's military regime is unlikely to agree to with their people still enraged by those bloody events.

They may carry defiance in their hearts - but as the Pinheiro report makes clear, Burma's military is ready - and willing - to trample those who dare defy it.

Inigo Gilmore, Channel 4 News, Bangkok