WASHINGTON, Sept 28: US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown led renewed calls on Friday for the Myanmar junta to end its violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

Discussing the crisis in Myanmar by videoconference, the two leaders expressed “the need for countries around the world to continue to make their views clear to the junta, that they need to refrain from violence and move to a peaceful transition to democracy,” White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said.

The junta’s southeast Asian neighbours expressed ‘revulsion’.

While the US tightened economic sanctions. China’s Premier Wen Jiabao told Japan’s new Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda that Beijing was making efforts to calm the situation, Japanese officials said. He voiced hope that a visit to Myanmar by UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari would produce results.

The UN Human Rights Council called a special meeting on the Myanmar unrest.

Public outrage over the shooting of demonstrators in Yangon spilled over into clashes between Australian police and protesters outside the Myanmar embassy.

There were also demonstrations outside the Myanmar missions in London, Paris, Geneva, Rome and major Asian cities.Hundreds of people who gathered outside the Myanmar embassy in Rome included ministers.

Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal joined demonstrators in Paris. About 2,000 Myanmar people gathered outside their embassy in Malaysia.—AFP