The Asean bloc must keep the pressure on military-ruled Burma to reform or risk losing its credibility, a human rights group said on Monday in a statement on the 17th anniversary of a doomed pro-democracy uprising.

Activists said last month's decision by the junta, to give up the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 2006 because of regional and international criticism, showed that such pressure worked.

"The unprecedented pressure exercised on the Burmese junta over the chairmanship has boosted Asean's integrity, locally and internationally," Debbie Stothard, coordinator of the Alternative Asean Network on Burma, said, using the country's former name.

"Asean should reinforce these gains by ensuring the regime actually delivers on its promises for political and economic reform."

The statement, also timed to coincide with the 38th anniversary of the founding of Asean, said continuous pressure on the Burma leadership was most effective when applied from within the bloc.

"Asean should now insist the junta set a clear timetable in fulfilling its long-standing pledge to Asean and the international community to commence a genuine and inclusive process towards democratization in Burma," the statement said.

In Malaysia the head of a regional group of legislators seeking democratic change in Burma also said the pressure had worked.

Push for Suu Kyi's release

"But it is not over yet. Both Asean and the world community must push for change in Myanmar," Zaid Ibrahim, chairman of the ASean Pro-Democracy Burma (Myanmar) Caucus group of lawmakers, told AFP .

"Asean must also push for Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom," he said of the country's detained pro-democracy leader.

The United States and European Union had said they would boycott Asean meetings had Rangoon taken the bloc's alphabetically-rotating chairmanship, which will now pass from Malaysia to the Philippines.

On Aug 8, 1988, hundreds or even thousands of people are believed to have been killed when troops opened fire on mass protests demanding an end to military dictatorship.

A new junta took charge and allowed opposition parties to be formed after 26 years of monopoly rule.

But when the National League for Democracy (NLD) won a crushing victory in May 1990 parliamentary elections, sweeping 392 out of 485 seats, the junta refused to recognise the results and has since kept a tight grip on power.

The NLD's leader Aung San Suu Kyi has since May 2003 been under her third stint of house arrest. The NLD can only operate from its dilapidated Rangoon office as its offices elsewhere were closed in May 2003.