Following last month’s brutal clashes between the ruling junta and the supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's democracy icon and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 a UN envoy has put pressure on China to use its influence to make the ruling generals in Myanmar to end state repression.

Since China is the most important furnisher of weapons for Myanmar, the New York-based non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch sent a letter to the Chinese President Hu Jintao, knowing that China has the authority to make some concrete steps to end repression.

The events that draw the attention of the organization happened last September, when Myanmar's military government cracked down on peaceful protests, killing at least 10 and arresting hundreds, including Buddhist monks.

"Chinese officials have publicly called for 'cooperation' and 'dialogue' between the Burmese generals and their critics, but said nothing when these critics were arrested, 'disappeared' or killed," said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director of Human Rights Watch.

The letter also added that August 8, 2008, the day of the opening of the Beijing Olympics will be the 20th anniversary of the pro-democracy protests in Myanmar that took place in 1988, too. 3.000 people were killed during those protests.

"Although the Chinese government chose 08/08/08 for symbolic reasons, recent events in Burma and China's ties to the military government mean that the spotlight on that date will also be on the continued suffering of the Burmese people," the letter states.

As an effective plan, Human Rights Watch’s letter proposed Hu to place an embargo an all weapons transfers to Myanmar and the suspension of all military cooperation, along with China’s support for the UN Security Council resolutions and offering asylum for anybody who would flee prosecution in Myanmar.

"If China takes a strong stand on Burma now, it will be credited rather than criticized on 08-08-08," said Richardson in the letter.