YANGON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Small groups of protesters started to coalesce in Myanmar's main city on Saturday, hurling abuse at riot police and soldiers before scattering down side alleys when they started to charge, a witness said.

Such cat-and-mouse sparring between the crowds and security forces lasted several hours on Friday. Several shots were fired but there were no reports of any injuries.

During the last week, protests against decades of military rule and deepening economic hardship in the country formerly known as Burma have tended not to start until after lunch.

Saturday morning's torrential monsoon rains, which helped keep the streets empty, eased in the early afternoon.

AlertNet news is provided by