Thousands of monks have been rounded up in Burma during the government’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests. Hla Win, a chief of military intelligence and recently defected senior official of the ruling junta, has said that monks are being “killed and their bodies dumped deep inside the jungle.” Liselotte Agerlid, a Swedish Diplomat who visited during the protests has said that Burma now faces decades of repression. “The Burma revolt is over,” she added.

The reports follow claims from a former intelligence officer in Burma’s ruling junta that thousands of protesters have been killed and the bodies of hundreds of executed monks have been dumped in the jungle.

Public anger ignited on August 19 after the government increased fuel prices, then shifted into protests led by Buddhist monks against 45 years of military dictatorship.

Soldiers responded last week by opening fire on unarmed demonstrators. The demonstrations have now died down.

Burma’s junta leader Than Shwe yesterday stalled a UN envoy, putting off hearing international demands for an end to the crackdown on democracy advocates.

News of the jailings comes after a former intelligence officer for Burma’s ruling junta revealed the true extent of killings to clamp down on protests.

The most senior official to defect so far, Hla Win, said: “Many more people have been killed in recent days than you’ve heard about. The bodies can be counted in several thousand.”

Mr Win said he fled when he was ordered to take part in a massacre of holy men.

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