Protests are continuing across the globe to condemn the military junta in Burma for crushing a pro-democracy uprising led by Buddhist monks. In New York, hundreds gathered on Monday outside the Burmese consulate. Amnesty International’s T. Kumar said thousands of protesters might have died in Burma.

T. Kumar: “So we are extremely pleased that the international community and the folks here are angered by the crackdown there. We don’t know the exact number of people who have been killed. It could be hundreds. It could be thousands. That’s why we want the U.N. Security Council to be there. In '88 several thousands were killed, massacred by the Burmese junta. Today we don't want that to be happened again.”

New School Associate Professor Mala Htun criticized China’s support of the military junta in Burma.

Mala Htun: “We think that the United States, the EU and ASEAN nations are starting to pay attention. We think that China is digging their heels in, and we think that we should boycott the Beijing Olympics until China withdraws its support immediately for this military government.”

Meanwhile, Burma’s Foreign Minister Nyan Win spoke at the United Nations on Monday and blamed “political opportunists” for staging the protests.

Nyan Win: “Myanmar has had to go through such a challenge recently. That situation would not have deteriorated had the initial protest of the small group of activists against the rise in fuel price had not been exploited by political opportunists. They sought to turn the situation into a political showdown aided and abetted by some powerful countries.”