A UN special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, is due in Burma within hours for urgent talks on ending the military junta's crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
The streets of Rangoon were quiet on Saturday following three days of violence against the protesters.
Internet links, which the government cut to stem the flow of information about the protests, are reported to be working intermittently.
State newspapers declared peace and stability had been restored.
Mr Gambari is expected to urge a peaceful end to confrontation with pro-democracy activists.
He will arrive in Rangoon at 1520 local time (0850 GMT) before flying straight on to Burma's new capital Naypyidaw, a diplomatic source told Reuters news agency.
"They don't want the UN envoy to see the truth of the demonstrations in Burma""He's the best hope we have. He is trusted on both sides," said Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo.
It was not clear which members of the government he would be allowed to meet, though the White House said he should be allowed to meet "anyone he wants to meet", including opposition figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi.
Streets quiet
The BBC's Chris Hogg, in Bangkok, says Burma's international internet links were restored on Saturday, indicating the junta was now satisfied it had the protests under control.
Soldiers and police were stationed on almost every corner and shopping centres and parks were closed, with only a few people on the streets, the Associated Press reported.
"I don't think that we have any more hope to win," one young woman said. "The monks are the ones who give us courage."
Police surrounded five monasteries on Friday to prevent Buddhist monks - who have been spearheading the demonstrations - from taking to the streets.
Despite the lack of information due to the internet clampdown, eyewitnesses managed to contact the BBC on Friday to say that the government was sending bus-loads of vigilantes into the main city to attack the demonstrators.
They said a temporary prison had been set up at an old race course for the hundreds, possibly thousands, of people detained in recent days.
International response
Overnight, the US said it would ban dozens of members of Burma's military government from obtaining American travel visas.
That followed the US Treasury saying it would freeze any US assets belonging to 14 Burmese government and military officials.
What next for the regime?
The new measures mark the latest tightening of a 10-year-old sanctions regime, which analysts says has not worked.
Meanwhile, Japan has said it will review its aid programmes after a Japanese journalist was shot dead during the demonstrations in Rangoon.
Video footage of Kenji Nagai apparently being shot by a Burmese soldier was broadcast around the world on Friday.
Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win apologised to his Japanese counterpart over the incident, according to Japan's news agency Kyodo.
"Demonstrations are beginning to calm down, and we would also like to exercise restraint," he was quoted as saying.
On Saturday, the state-run New Light of Myanmar said "the security forces handled the situation with care using the least force".
But a witness told the BBC that a number of people were killed in Friday's violence.
Burmese officials said nine people were killed on Thursday, but the UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said he believed the loss of life in Burma had been "far greater".
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