An estimated 2,000 people protested against the Burmese junta in a rally that began at its embassy in Kuala Lumpur and continued to the Russia and Chinese missions.

They included members of Burmese ethnic communities, many of whom wore traditional dress to shout their opposition to the junta's bloody crackdown on anti-government protests.

"We want democracy!" the protesters yelled outside the embassy of Burma's close ally, China.

They also called for Burma to be expelled from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and for the release of Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"We hate the junta. All of us want them to step down," one of the protesters, Sandar Su, 19, told AFP. She carried a placard which called the junta a "butcher".

The college student, who said she fled Burma at the age of five, called for foreign military intervention in the country and accused the United Nations of being ineffective.

She said the junta "fool the UN to believe they will change."

The world must help us

The protestors handed a one-page memorandum to the Burma, Russia and Chinese missions to demand the military junta free all political prisoners and restore democracy.

"We, all the ethnic nationalities, strongly protest and condemn the violence acts committed by the authorities in Burma against the people ...," it said.

"We hope all the world leaders will help to topple the military. The world must help us," said Andy Myo, 30, who has worked as a waiter in Malaysia since he fled Burma in 2004.

Myo carried a poster which read "We are prisoners in our own country."

Another protester, Mung, 29, said he arrived in Malaysia in June seeking refugee status.

"I didn't have a job and life was difficult. I want democracy," he said, bearing a placard that called Russia and China "rogue twin brothers."

Junta: We're not to blame

A similar-sized rally had occurred outside the embassies on Friday, and on Monday at least 150 Malaysian activists staged a noisy protest outside the Burmese embassy to demand the military junta stop its repression.

Malaysian lawyers meanwhile urged Asean to expel Burma.

"It is clear that Asean's efforts at constructive engagement have failed and a clear message must be sent to the regime," Ragunath Kesavan, vice-president of the Bar Council Malaysia, said in a statement.

A UN special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, met Myanmar's junta leader Than Shwe in the nation's remote capital today, as the military regime insisted it was not to blame for a deadly crackdown on mass protests during which at least 13 people were killed and hundreds arrested.