New Delhi - Burmese pro-democracy groups and activists from various places around the world on Friday, September 26, observed the first anniversary of the military government's bloody crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.

In New Delhi, pro-democracy activists held a demonstration condemning the ruling junta for its order to open fire on protesting monks on this day last year.

On September 26, 2007, the Burmese military junta ordered soldiers to open fire on a protesting crowd led by Buddhist monks. According to the United Nations, which sent a Rights Envoy to investigate the junta's crackdown, at least 31 people were killed, while thousands were arrested and detained.

Similarly, Burmese activists and supporters in other parts of the world, including the United States, Japan and the Philippines, also marked the anniversary of the junta's crackdown on what came to be known as the "Saffron revolution," a moniker derived from the color of the robes worn by Buddhist monks in Burma.

In Japan, activists and journalists on Thursday gathered 100,000 signatures in support of an appeal to be sent to the Burmese Embassy, calling for a probe into the killing of Japanese journalist Kenji Nagai, who was shot to death by a Burmese soldier while covering the protests in Rangoon on September 27, 2007.

In the Philippines, local rights activists and campaigners held a silent sit-in protest in front of the Burmese Consulate in Makati City, as a protest against the junta's brutal crackdown on protestors in Burma a year ago.

While activists and pro-democracy groups held various activities to mark the anniversary of the junta's crackdown on peaceful demonstrations, Burma's main opposition party, from Rangoon, said the junta's crackdown on opposition activists has increased since last years' protests.

Nyan Win, spokesperson for the National League for Democracy, said the junta has increased its repression against activists and pro-democracy groups since the mass demonstrations in September of last year.

"Political activists have continued to face increased oppression by the junta after last year's demonstrations," Nyan Win said.

But he added that despite the increasing suppression, the September protests have resulted in more Burmese people being aware of the political problems in the country.

"We can see that more people are taking an interest in politics since the protests, and the protests and the crackdown will be hard for the people to forget," Nyan Win proceeded to explain.

He said, though there seems to be no sign of any protests this year, the protests of last year clearly reflected the true desires of the people and it also delivered a message to the junta that the people are not willing to continue following their orders.

"The protests revealed how people are tired of suffering, and demonstrated the people's courage in their opposition by their coming out onto the streets in protest because the government had not resolved their problems," he added.

Thakhin Chan Tun, a veteran politician in Rangoon, said the situation in Burma after last year's peaceful protests has become tighter than before the protests and that the arrests of political activists have increased – resulting in more than double the number of political prisoners from a year before.

"There have been so many arrests by the junta after the protests, targeting anyone they suspect," said Thakhin Chan Tun. "I don't think there can be any kind of movement this year."

He explained that the protests and crackdown only reveal that there will be more conflicts between the military and the people until the junta make changes and compromise with the peoples' desire.

"The only resolution possible is the holding of a dialogue between the opposition and the military government as soon as possible," he said. "That is why we have always called for a dialogue."

Meanwhile, in the United States, the International Burmese Monks Organization (IBMO) on Friday held a peace walk in New York to mark the anniversary.

The IBMO was formed by monks from Burma who fled to escape the junta's wrath following the September protests.