After the departure of a U.N. envoy who visited Myanmar in an attempt to stop the violent crackdown on protests, the junta arrested more individuals on Wednesday. Witnesses reported that at least eight truckloads of prisoners were taken from downtown Yangon, the largest city in the country. In one house near the Shwedagon Pagoda, only a 13-year-old girl remained as her parents had been apprehended. The residents were ordered onto the street in the middle of the night, with many being taken away. The crackdown continued despite some optimism about progress made by U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari in persuading junta chief Than Shwe to ease his control and engage in discussions with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Singapore, as the chair of ASEAN, expressed satisfaction with the cooperation provided by the Myanmar government to Mr. Gambari. Gambari, who met with Aung San Suu Kyi twice, was expected to return to Myanmar in early November, although it was unclear how his efforts and international pressure would influence the junta's policies. The junta is known for ignoring external pressure and rarely allowing U.N. officials to visit, so expectations for significant change are low. Georgetown University expert on Myanmar, David Steinberg, believes that the top leadership in Myanmar is so deeply entrenched in their views that they are unlikely to change. He noted that they often claim to be on the path to democracy and question what more the people want, referencing the junta's "seven-step road to democracy". The completion of the first step in September marked the end of a 14-year national convention, which critics argue will further entrench military rule and prevent Suu Kyi from holding office. The protests, the most significant challenge to the junta in two decades, initially began as small demonstrations against fuel price increases and escalated after troops used force against a group of monks. The military government claimed that the protests led by monks, which spanned five city blocks, were met with minimal force and that normalcy had returned to Yangon and other cities. They disputed reports of high casualties and brutalities as exaggerated lies, but Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, along with other Western governments, believed the actual death toll was much higher. Despite officially acknowledging 10 deaths, Downer suggested that the reported number of 30 was likely an underestimate. The junta, feeling victorious in quelling the rebellion, removed barricades around the Shwedagon and Sule pagodas and reduced the overnight curfew by two hours. Additionally, they released 80 monks and 149 women, suspected to be nuns, who were detained in widespread raids the previous week. Five journalists from the local area, including one from Japan's Tokyo Shimbun newspaper, were recently released. However, witnesses reported a continued heavy presence of armed forces in the streets of Yangon and Mandalay. The military junta is said to be sending groups to search homes for hiding monks, a tactic that has been condemned by Western diplomats for instilling fear. Despite international outrage over the harsh response to peaceful protests, there has been no sign of the situation improving. The U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, which includes China as an ally of the regime, criticized the junta for its violent actions and called for the U.N. human rights envoy to be allowed to visit Myanmar for the first time in four years. He mentioned that thousands of individuals had been arrested. Pinheiro emphasized the importance of uncovering the truth about the events. The council passed a resolution condemning acts of violence including beatings, killings, and detentions. Myanmar accused powerful nations of using the hearing for political gain.