Myanmar ? Pro-government gangs on trucks staked out key streets in Myanmar’s largest city on Wednesday as the country’s military rulers sought to crush a rare wave of dissent by pro-democracy activists protesting fuel price increases.

There were reports from Myanmar democracy activists and media in exile of protests in two other towns. The protests, which began Aug. 19, are the best organized in a decade.

Tension was especially high at Yangon’s busy Hledan Junction, where security officials, backed by menacing but unarmed gangs in civilian clothing, clamped down Tuesday on an attempted protest within minutes of its start. They roughed up about 15 demonstrators before tossing them into waiting trucks to take them to a detention facility, witnesses said.

On Wednesday, about 60 tough-looking young men sat in three trucks parked on either side of the road, watching for protesters in what has become a familiar scene on the city’s streets in the past week. But there was no sign of new demonstrations in Yangon, the country’s commercial center.