Buddhist monks from Myanmar fix red head scarfs to the gates of 10 Downing St. during a protest against the military junta in Myanmar and the recent crackdown by the authorities in that country Saturday in London. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he wants new EU sanctions to be imposed on Myanmar in the wake of the violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests there.

London ? Demonstrators in cities across Europe and Asia joined Saturday in protests against the military junta in Myanmar, where some activists held covert vigils for those killed and arrested in the crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrations.

Hoping to send Myanmar’s ruling military generals a message that “the world is still watching,” rights group Amnesty International organized marches in more than two dozen Asian, European and North American cities.

Some observers predicted the protests would have minimal effect on an inward-looking military elite that has largely ignored world opinion and pressure during its 45 years in power.

There were no visible demonstrations in Myanmar’s largest city of Yangon, where bans on gatherings of more than five people are enforced by soldiers, but some in the city and elsewhere in the country prayed in their homes at the suggestion of a Buddhist monk.

Before demonstrations began in London, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for new European Union sanctions against the junta, including a ban on future investment in the country.

“The anger of the world has been expressed about the outrages that have taken place against the people of Burma,” Brown said during a televised meeting with Buddhist monks in his 10 Downing St. office.

Myanmar monks scattered flower petals in London’s River Thames and led about 3,000 people, some chanting “Burma, Burma, Free, Free” to a rally in Trafalgar Square, where Amnesty International’s chief Irene Khan declared: “Burma is not a human rights emergency of today, last week or last month. It is a human rights emergency that the world has chosen to forget for the last 20 years. We will not forget this time round, we will not let the people of Burma down.”

The international day of protest began in Melbourne, Australia, where 200 people marched behind a banner demanding “No More Bloodshed.” In Sydney, some 200 marchers dressed in colorful clothes to show their support for what some are calling the “saffron revolution” after the Myanmar monks’ robes.

In Taipei, hundreds braved a strong typhoon to demand action from the international community. Smaller crowds turned out in Bangkok and Manila. In Malaysia’s biggest city, Kuala Lumpur, 300 people attended a candlelight vigil Friday evening.

In Paris, French police blocked several hundred protesters, including monks, from marching on the Chinese Embassy in Paris. The crowd stood in front of the adjacent embassy.