Protesters wore white and lit candles to support a week-long "Prayer Campaign" by people in Burma and an earlier petition campaign that collected over 500,000 signatures in the country supporting the release of political prisoners.

"At present, there are more than 1,100 political prisoners in Burma, and 130 political prisoners have died in jail because of torture and bad conditions," the group stated in an open letter.

Myint Wai, a representative of the committee, said the recent trip by top UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari to meet with Suu Kyi was a positive step toward political change in Burma.

However, he worried that the visit of a top UN official would signify acceptance of the national situation and work to further extend military rule in the country.

"This is only the first step of the seven stages to a 'road map to democracy in Burma', conceived by the junta, and nobody knows when it will be finished, and nothing guarantees a future democratic Burma," Myint Wai said.

The Burmese activist said the serious military operation in Karen State did not bode well for any eventual national reconciliation that would benefit the entire nation.

He also said the delegates Gambari was allowed to meet in Nyaung Hna Pinwere puppets of the military junta.