Streets in some of Myanmar's main cities were nearly deserted on Tuesday as opponents of the military rule held "silent strikes", making the first anniversary of a coup that led to deadly chaos and snuffed out tentative steps towards democracy.

The United States, Britain and Canada imposed new sanctions on the military and joined other countries in calling for a global halt in arms sales to Myanmar, a year after Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government was overthrown.