United Nations officials in Burma are calling for the country’s military junta to pay heed to the outpouring of public discontent during last month’s street demonstrations – protests that top generals have dismissed as a CIA-instigated plot.

In a statement due to be released on Wednesday, UN officials in Rangoon are calling the peaceful marches – which the army suppressed – a reflection of deep public frustration at “the every-day struggle to meet basic needs” amid a worsening economic and humanitarian crisis.