The head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has called for the anti-government protests in member-state Burma to remain peaceful.
ASEAN Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong made his comments Sunday ahead of the annual United Nations meeting in New York.
Foreign ministers of ASEAN's 10 member-states are expected to discuss the mounting unrest in Burma on the sidelines of the UN conference.
The Associated Press quotes Ong as saying he does not know what the foreign ministers can do, but he hopes the Burmese authorities find a way to handle the situation in a peaceful manner.
ASEAN has been accused by some observers of being too soft in its approach to steering Burma's military government toward democratic reforms and improving the country's human rights record.
ASEAN's 10 member-states are Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Information for this story is provided by AFP, AP.
