Nine people have been killed amid a crackdown on anti-government protesters in Burma's main city of Rangoon, state television has reported. The dead included eight protesters and a Japanese man identified by Japan's APF News as a video journalist. Eleven demonstrators and 31 soldiers were injured, state media said. The clashes came on the 10th day of protests against Burma's military rulers led by the country's Buddhist monks. Hundreds have been arrested. Security forces on Thursday had to fire warning shots as protesters tried to take their weapons, the state television report said. Witnesses said it was unclear whether bullets were fired into the crowd or above heads. We still think that because there is a very, very heavy guard presence on University Avenue that [Aung San Suu Kyi] must be in her house halfway down that street Mark Canning British Ambassador in Rangoon The military had been broadcasting warnings that the protesters should go home or face "serious action". World leaders have renewed their calls for an end to the violence. Why are monks involved? The monks started participating in large numbers after troops used force to break up a peaceful rally in the central town of Pakokku on 5 September. At least three monks were hurt. The next day, monks in Pakokku briefly took government officials hostage. They gave the government until 17 September to apologise, but no apology was forthcoming. When the deadline expired, the monks began to protest in much greater numbers and also withdrew their religious services from the military and their families. There have been protests every day since the deadline, both in Rangoon and elsewhere, and they are getting bigger by the day. Tens of thousands of monks are now involved. The participation of the monks is significant because there are hundreds of thousands of them and they are highly revered. The clergy has historically been prominent in political protests in Burma. Because of the clergy's influence, the government has tried hard to woo many senior abbots. The fact that these abbots have chosen to remain silent is a sign for many people that they condone the protests. Analysts believe that any violence against the monks could trigger a national uprising. BBC