Dozens of people were arrested overnight as security forces raided homes near Yangon's Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar's holiest Buddhist shrine and a key rallying point for the mass protests, residents said.

Soldiers enforced an overnight curfew and swept into homes to make targeted arrests from a blacklist of campaigners following the largest anti-regime demonstrations in almost 20 years, the residents said.

"They have a curfew in place and every night they arrest people," said Shari Villarosa, US head of mission in the military-ruled country.

While a semblance of normality had returned, long-simmering discontent had been "heightened by anger by what has been done against the demonstrators, the atrocities that have been committed against the monks," she said.

One resident, asking not to be named, told AFP: "Many people were arrested during the night, but it is really hard to say exactly how many. But none of the usual vendors around Shwedagon Pagoda can be found."

Some detainees have been released, but the empty streets, where thousands of monks usually collect alms at dawn, are evidence of the scale of the crackdown.

"We think there were considerably more than 10 killed," Villarosa said, disputing the official toll. On the number arrested, she said: "I feel fairly certain that they are in the thousands."

Most Yangon monasteries seem empty, leaving neighbours to wonder if the monks have been arrested, injured or worse.

"A large number of people have been disappeared, and they need to be accounted for immediately," said Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch.

"We still need to know where those people are and what their conditions are. So far there is nothing from the Burmese government side to account for those who were detained, and that causes us great concern."

Activists who sent photos and video of the protests around the world have now found those weapons turned against them. Security forces also recorded the protests, apparently using those images to hunt down more activists.

The crackdown has continued despite the international community increasing the pressure on the military, which has been in power for 45 years.

UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari was to brief Secretary General Ban Ki-moon later Thursday about his four-day mission here, during which he met the ruling generals and the detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"Mr Gambari has delivered a strong message from me personally," Ban said in New York. "The concerns of the international community have been clearly and loudly conveyed to the Myanmar authorities."

The UN chief said he would consult with members of the 15-member Security Council on Friday to weigh the international community's next step. Gambari was also to brief the council on his mission Friday.

China, which has in the past blocked steps to punish Myanmar, praised the UN mediation efforts and again urged the country's military rulers to show restraint in handling anti-government protests.

"We are pleased with the results achieved by Gambari's visit," said a government statement, without specifying what those results were.

"China calls on relevant parties in Myanmar to exercise restraint and restore, through peaceful means, stability at an early date."

The European Union has agreed in principle to toughen sanctions against the regime, and Japan said it was considering aid cuts after the shooting dead of video journalist Kenji Nagai, whose body was repatriated Thursday.

On Saturday, supporters of the pro-democracy movement are set to join a global day of protest called by Amnesty International, HRW and other groups.

Events have been scheduled for noon local time in 30 countries including Austria, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, France, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Thailand and the United States.

"These events around the world are designed to show the people of Burma that we stand with them, and the generals that we are watching their every move," said a Crisis Action spokesman.

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