YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- Myanmar lifted a curfew Saturday and ended a ban on assembly imposed during a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
The crowded streets of Yangon, Myanmar are returning to normal after mass demonstrations in September.
The move is the latest sign the military rulers are confident they have fully crushed the largest demonstrations in two decades.
The White House dismissed the change as "cosmetic" a day after President Bush announced new penalties against the military-run government.
"What we need are signs of serious intent to move toward a democratic transition," presidential press secretary Dana Perino said.
The relaxing of restrictions imposed September 25 was announced from government vehicles driven through the streets of Myanmar's largest city, Yangon.
"The curfew and ban on assembly has been revoked effective today, because security and stability has improved," according to the announcement issued from a speaker atop one of the vehicles.
It was not immediately clear if the restrictions were also lifted in Mandalay, another major city and a focus of last month's anti-government demonstrations.
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The lifting of the 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew and ban on gatherings of more than five people indicates the junta believes it has stamped out the uprising that was sparked in August by public anger at a sharp rise in fuel prices. Small protests quickly grew into anti-government demonstrations tens of thousands of people strong and spearheaded by legions of the country's respected Buddhist monks.
It was the largest show of dissent in the tightly controlled state in nearly two decades.
The junta responded by detaining thousands of demonstrators and shooting into the crowds, killing as many as 10 by official count. Diplomats and activists say the death toll is much higher.
Since the crackdown, authorities in Myanmar have attempted to apply a softer touch. They have cleared the streets of soldiers and released some prominent activists.
Perino said Saturday's announcement was "a bad sign that the regime now feels confident that it has cleared the monasteries of dissidents by either jailing them or sending them to their home villages, and arrested all the major players in the demonstrations and sent into hiding or exile those they have not captured."
Perino urged the junta to enter talks with Aung San Suu Kyi, the detained opposition leader, and invite U.N. Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari to return.
The junta has also been intensifying efforts to arrange talks with Suu Kyi, issuing an unusual plea in state media Saturday for her to compromise for the sake of national reconciliation.
The government announced earlier this month that military leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe was willing to meet with the Nobel Peace Prize winner, but only if she meets certain conditions, including renouncing support for foreign countries' economic sanctions targeting the regime.
The junta has also urged Suu Kyi, detained for 12 of the last 18 years, to give up her support for "confrontation" and "utter devastation" -- an apparent reference to the recent protests.
Myanmar's repressive regime has repeatedly rebuffed the world's calls for democratic reforms, saying it will follow its own seven-step road map to democracy that is supposed to culminate in a general election.
While Gambari has been working toward a dialogue, the United States and other governments have stepped up pressure on the regime by tightening sanctions.
Bush announced Friday that Washington would expand sanctions imposed last month to punish the military-run government and its backers for the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. E-mail to a friend
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Referenced by the CNN.com
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