Dozens of human rights activists and members of the Burmese community in Malaysia gathered Sunday to mark the 60th birthday of detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and called for her release from house arrest.

Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) should not allow Burma to take over its chairmanship in 2006 unless it releases her and all other political prisoners, said opposition lawmaker Teresa Kok.

Burma must also conform to international human rights standards before it can assume the Asean chairmanship, said Kok, who is the secretary for the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Caucus for Democracy in Burma.

Aung San Suu Kyi's continued detention was "totally unacceptable," said Amnesty International Malaysia representative Roshan Balan.

Song and cake

The gathering of some 50 pro-democracy activists, opposition party leaders and members of the Burmese community in Malaysia called in speeches for Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom, yelled "Free, free Aung San Suu Kyi!" and "Free Burma!" They also sang "Happy Birthday" and cut a cake dedicated to the Nobel laureate.

Malaysia's former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Friday also called for her release.

Mahathir, who engineered Burma's entry into Asean in 1997, said the junta should not be afraid of the ramifications of freeing the democracy figurehead or making other reforms.

Parliamentarians in several Asean countries have urged their governments to block Burma's accession to the chairmanship unless it reforms.

Activists arrested

Mahathir has said in the past that Burma might have to be expelled from Asean if its military rulers continue defying world pressure to release Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won disallowed 1990 elections in a landslide.

Asean groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Malaysian police on Thursday arrested 68 Burmese activists for protesting outside their country's embassy against Aung San Suu Kyi's detention. They are being held at a local police station and are yet to be charged in court.

Another noisy protest was held outside the Burmese mission Friday.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been confined at her Yangon home for the past two years, in her third stint under house arrest since beginning her political career in 1988.