Junta leaders have vowed to resist, saying in state media: 'We will march on. There is no reason to change the course.'

The official New Light of Myanmar daily yesterday quoted them as saying: 'We will remove all the hindrances and obstacles that may lie ahead.'

The newspaper insisted there were no political prisoners in the country, and criticised a UN Security Council statement slamming the violence used to quell the biggest anti-government protests in nearly two decades.

The response came amid growing international pressure on the regime to halt its repression and launch talks with the pro-democracy opposition led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

The newspaper criticised last week's Security Council statement deploring the crackdown and calling for the release of political prisoners.

'The situation in Myanmar does not constitute a threat to the regional and international peace and security...In reality, there is no one in Myanmar who is in prison for political reasons. There are only those against whom action has been taken in violation of the existing laws.'

It added: 'Anti-government groups inside and outside the nation are making and exaggerating fabricated news to create public panic.'

Myanmar's leading opposition party has urged the junta to free political detainees immediately, echoing a call on Monday by UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who said reports of new arrests were 'extremely disturbing'.

It called on the junta to release political prisoners and stop the 'torture' of Buddhist monks, nuns, students and others.

Last month's protests, led by Buddhist monks, drew up to 100,000 people in what was seen as the most potent threat to the regime since student-led demonstrations were crushed in 1988.

But the peaceful protests were violently broken up by troops and riot police in an operation that left at least 13 people dead and more than 2,000 locked up.

At the weekend, the regime eased its curfew and restored Internet access that had been cut off during the protests. It also staged a pro-government rally criticising Western governments and the foreign media for stirring up unrest in the country.

ASSOCIATED PRESS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE