violent crackdown launched in myanmar

from ap: Security forces in Myanmar opened fire on demonstrators Wednesday, and witnesses said police beat & dragged away dozens of Buddhist monks. The government said at least one person was killed, while dissident groups & media reported up to eight dead.

The military junta's announcement on state radio and television was the first acknowledgment of the use of force against protesters and its first admission of bloodshed after a month of mostly peaceful demonstrations against the government.

The United States and the European Union condemned the attacks and called on the military rulers to open a dialogue with pro-democracy leaders, including detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to a joint statement on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

The U.N. Security Council planned to hold closed consultations on Myanmar later Wednesday, and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon dispatched a special envoy to the region.