Sat Sep 29, 12:52 PM ET

WASHINGTON - US First Lady Laura Bush Friday branded as "deplorable" and "horrifying" the Myanmar military regime's crackdown on demonstrators and expressed doubts about the official death toll in the violence.

"The deplorable acts of violence being perpetrated against Buddhist monks and peaceful Burmese demonstrators shame the military regime," Bush said in a statement.

"Tens of thousands of Burmese are turning to the streets to demand their freedom -- and the country's military dictatorship has countered with horrifying abuses. Non-violent demonstrations by Buddhist monks and nuns have been met with tear gas, smoke grenades, baton beatings, and automatic weapons," she said.

"The regime admits to killing 10 people, but unofficial reports suggest the number is much higher," she added, noting that the regime's shutdown of communication links has cut off the flow of reliable information from Myanmar.

She also demanded that UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari be allowed to meet with sequestered opposition figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi, and reiterated her husband President George W. Bush's call for nations closest to the regime like China "to support the aspirations of the Burmese people, and to join in condemning the junta's use of violence on its own people."