The situation in Burma remains tense as news continues filtering out. Here’s a snapshot of views on the protest from within Burma and beyond.

The BBC is collecting the views of Burmese residents:

24 September: Today the city is quiet and people go to work as normal. There are lots of rumours, but for the time being everything is calm. People are anxious to see what’s going to happen. According to the government’s warnings, today could be a big day. China is key. The US have announced new sanctions, but this is nothing. Burmese people do not welcome them and do not care about them. They want help, not sanctions. If the US wants to make a change here, they should threaten that if China continues its support for the Burmese military, they won’t take part in the Olympics. Everything else is a joke. — Michel, Rangoon

24 September: Everything I know I’ve heard it from my relatives who live in the town centre. They have witnessed UN officials, students, foreigners, some Muslim, Chinese and Indian people taking part in the protest. I saw a truck full of police with guns, which looked like AK47. There also is an announcement in every township of Rangon warning people not to get involved in protests. We are really motivated by the protests. I believe in the power of people. The military junta has been making us miserable for nearly two decades. Enough is enough. This really is the right time for the Burmese people to be united. But most people are still silent. We need good leadership and a good leader. — Yi, Rangoon

24 September: This morning, government agents warned people by loudspeakers on the streets not to look, not to follow, not to encourage and not to participate in demonstrations. But a group of monks and ordinary people came out on the streets in the afternoon and headed towards the Sule Pagoda. A well-known poet gave a speech to the crowd and they continued their march. But I think that the participants are half the number they were yesterday. Some people are worried and they are thinking carefully about the crisis that may be created by a junta response. — Cherry, Rangoon

23 September: It is astounding to see such a great mass of people on both sides of the roads, some clapping and some crying, but all demonstrating their support for the monks and those chanting prayers. It’s for sure that all these people showing their support are willing to be part of the mass protest. They do not trust the government though and think that they could be crushed, just like it happened in 1988. But if we are just bystanders, today’s rare and momentous events might not lead to the fall of the regime. — Kyaw, Rangoon

23 September: I am not sure where these protests are going to lead to, but I am sure that it’s not at all a good sign. Many people are expecting that there will be a great change coming soon. I am not sure if the monks will be joined by students, workers, or even soldiers. We are very insecure because we don’t know what the government is planning to do. There are some news in the government-controlled newspapers that the monks are trying to agitate the public. This can be a big excuse for them to start attacking the monks. I really want some changes in Burma but I am not sure where the change is going to lead us to. I hope there won’t be any blood bath this time like there was in 1988. Soe Soe, Mandalay.

A protester’s point of view:

Min Neing, an unemployed 22-year-old economics graduate and member of the National League for Democracy, has taken part in four days of demonstrations in Rangoon. He spoke to the Guardian:

“Before the monks started their demonstrations a week ago I’d taken part in the earlier protests. Each day I’d get up and find out from my friends where the protest would take place. Usually we’d get the information by mobile phone. But we had to be really careful. I know my telephone is tapped. We’d always use a simple code to describe when and where it was taking place. Many friends’ mobiles were just shut down.

“I’ve just seen so many people in terrible poverty. I absolutely had to do something – anything – to alleviate that hardship. Many people can no longer afford to send their children to school. They can’t even pay for two meals a day for their families now. They’re down to one meal a day, it’s that bad. As a result many are malnourished and they’re falling ill. But then they can’t even find the money for medical bills…”

China’s Burmese dilemma:

China, which has become one of Burma’s main supporters over recent years, has remained largely silent about the current protests. Beijing is traditionally reluctant to speak publicly about the internal affairs of other countries. But, despite this, there are signs that Chinese politicians are anxious to help stabilise the political situation in Burma. — BBC News

Perhaps the nation most concerned about the ongoing protests, and potentially most influential in resolving them, is China, Myanmar’s most powerful neighbor. China, the host of the 2008 summer Olympic Games, “has to be on its good behavior until the Olympics,” said David Steinberg, a Myanmar expert at Georgetown University. “The old days where you sent tanks across the border are not possible today.” — Chicago Tribune

Monks vs Military:

…[M]onks reportedly carried small banners that summarized the grievances of the public: “Sufficiency in food, clothing and shelter, national reconciliation, freedom for all political prisoners.” The government-controlled press broke its silence on the week of protests by monks and their supporters, warning them to go home. On Monday, the head of the official Buddhist organization, the Sangha, directed monks to confine themselves to learning and propagating the faith. It said young monks were being “compelled by a group of destructive elements within and without to break the law,” according to The New Light of Myanmar, an official newspaper. It also quoted the religious affairs minister, Brig. Gen. Thura Myint Maung, as saying that protests by monks had also spread to cities like Mandalay, Hinthada and Monywa in seven of the 14 states and divisions. In televised comments on Monday night, he told religious leaders to restrain the protesting monks or face unspecified action against them by the government. — NY Times

It is being called the Saffron Revolution. In recent days, Buddhist monks throughout Burma have been leading peaceful protests against a brutal military dictatorship. And now a decisive moment is approaching. — Boston Globe