Die Welt

About 150 people have held a demonstration in Berlin outside the Chinese Embassy in support of the democracy movement in Burma, to send a signal to Beijing to force the military junta to give way and to stop using its veto at the UN Security Council to block a resolution condemning the regime.

Barbara Lochbihler, the Secretary General of Amnesty International in Germany said that China could play a key role as the most important arms supplier to Burma, where torture and ill-treatment are widespread. 1,160 political prisoners are being held, a number which has increased in the past few days by 300.

Kerstin Müller, the foreign affairs spokeswoman for the Green Party in the Bundestag, called on Beijing to use its influence to prevent further bloodshed in Burma. She said that China must now show either that it has learned lessons or that "it is still prepared to trample over corpses".

Protests have been held in Burma for two weeks against the military dictatorship. Security forces began to use force against demonstrators a few days ago, claiming the lives of several people.