Myanmar's junta continued to make arrests on Wednesday following the departure of a U.N. envoy who had been trying to stop the violent crackdown on protests. Witnesses reported seeing at least eight truckloads of prisoners being taken from downtown Yangon, where last week's protests had taken place. In one house near the Shwedagon Pagoda, only a 13-year-old girl was left after her parents were arrested. She said they were warned not to try to escape, as the authorities might return. The crackdown persisted despite some optimism about progress made by U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari in convincing junta chief Than Shwe to ease his control and start discussions with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whom he met with twice. Singapore, as the chair of ASEAN, expressed satisfaction with the cooperation from the Myanmar government towards Mr. Gambari. Although Gambari was expected to return to Myanmar in early November, there was uncertainty about how his efforts and international pressure could influence the junta's policies. The junta is known for ignoring outside pressure and rarely allowing U.N. officials in, so little was expected to result from the situation. Georgetown University expert David Steinberg believes that the top leadership in Myanmar is deeply entrenched in their beliefs and unlikely to change. He mentioned that they often claim to be on the path to democracy and question what more is needed, referring to 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 many critics argue will solidify military rule and prevent Suu Kyi from holding office. The recent protests, the largest challenge to the junta in nearly two decades, started with small demonstrations against rising fuel prices and escalated after troops fired warning shots at a group of monks. The junta claims that they used minimal force to counter the monk-led protests, which spanned five city blocks, and that Yangon and other cities have returned to normal. They reported 10 deaths and dismissed reports of higher casualties and atrocities as untrue, but Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer agreed with other Western governments that the actual number of casualties was likely much higher. Despite this, the junta believes they have successfully quelled the uprising and have lifted barricades around the Shwedagon and Sule pagodas, the main protest sites, and reduced the overnight curfew by two hours. Additionally, 80 monks and 149 women suspected to be nuns who were detained in widespread raids last week have been released. Five local journalists, including one from Japan's Tokyo Shimbun newspaper, were released, but there remained a strong military presence in the streets of Yangon and Mandalay. Witnesses reported that armed gangs were searching homes for hiding monks, causing fear among the residents. The international community continued to condemn the junta's violent response to peaceful protests, with the U.N. Human Rights Council, including China, calling for the regime to allow the U.N. human rights envoy to Myanmar to visit for the first time in four years. He stated that thousands of individuals had been arrested. Pinheiro emphasized the importance of uncovering the truth about the events. The council passed a resolution condemning beatings, killings, and detentions. Myanmar accused powerful nations of using the hearing for political gain.