The military government in Myanmar, formerly Burma, has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the nation's two largest cities and once again warned of harsh punishment for protesters.

The regime's move came as pro-democracy demonstrations continued to grow, with thousands of Buddhist monks and their supporters marched through the streets of Yangon, defying government orders. The curfew is the junta's latest attempt to end the peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations that have taken place daily over the past week, growing to become the most serious challenge to the military since 1988.

What began last month as relatively small protests against higher gasoline prices has now become a threat to the ruling junta, which must decide whether to take forceful action to stop it.

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