HONG KONG : Key Asia powers Australia and Japan urged Myanmar's government Tuesday not to crack down on protesters rallying across the country, but China declined to put overt pressure on its close ally.

Other Asian countries said they were monitoring the situation carefully and worried about the potential consequences of an overly harsh response from the generals.

As the biggest crisis facing the Myanmar government for nearly 20 years picked up steam, some 100,000 people led by Buddhist monks defied warnings from the authorities to stage another anti-government protest in downtown Yangon.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer hailed the "enormous courage" of the protesters and urged Myanmar's rulers to begin talks on bringing about constitutional change.

He said China, India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - of which Myanmar is a member - must try to influence the government.

"I think the voices that the country's military leadership hear the loudest are the voices of China and India much more than the voices of ASEAN, and they certainly don't focus very much on the voices of Western countries."

However, China said it would stick to its policy of not interfering in the affairs of another state.

"As a friendly neighbouring country of Myanmar, China hopes to see stability and economic development in Myanmar," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.

Jiang called on the Myanmar government to "properly handle" the situation, without elaborating.

China is widely regarded to have been vital in keeping the Myanmar government afloat through its deep economic links and arms sales, as well as by shielding it against UN sanctions for alleged human rights abuses.

Japan urged the government of Myanmar "to remain calm, not to react in an extreme fashion".

"The public will has been expressed by the people who are marching on the streets," said foreign ministry spokesman Tomohiko Taniguchi.

However, Tokyo said it was not reconsidering its aid to Myanmar, assistance that puts it at odds with allies the United States and the European Union.

In the 10 years since it joined ASEAN, Myanmar has proved a major headache for the region's budding democracies, who have been admonished by the West for failing to press for reforms.

Malaysia urged the government to move toward national reconciliation before it was too late.

"We believe that reconciliation is the best process for peaceful transition to democracy," Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said.

"If it is done too slowly," he told AFP, "to the extent that people do not see any movement, then they take the law into their own hands and this usually results in dire consequences."

Syed Hamid last year visited Myanmar as an ASEAN envoy to check on reform efforts but was not allowed to meet with democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

Thailand's military, which seized power in a coup one year ago, said it was concerned by the "unprecedented" protests.

"Normally, the Myanmar government is good at controlling the people, but we are very concerned by this case because hundreds of thousands (of protesters) came out," General Boonrawd Somtas, the Thai defence minister, told AFP.

The reaction from across Asia comes amid building international pressure on the impoverished nation, with world leaders expected to use the annual debate at the UN General Assembly, opening Tuesday, to appeal for restraint and press for democratic reforms.

On Monday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon added his voice to those calls, as did Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who offered his support to the protesting monks.

At the same time the White House said US President George W. Bush would use a UN speech Tuesday to announce targeted US sanctions at key members of the government and call for more international pressure. - AFP/ch