Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has marked a grim 64th birthday in prison, with renewed calls worldwide for the ruling junta to free her.
British prime minister Gordon Brown, footballer David Beckham and actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts all offered support on a website while the United States and the European Union led political calls for her release.
Beatles legend Paul McCartney and John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono also posted to the "64 for Aung San Suu Kyi" site (www.64forsuu.org).
The Nobel laureate has spent 13 of the past 19 years in detention and is now being held in Yangon's notorious Insein prison during her trial for a bizarre incident in which an American man swam to her home.
As members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) held events at their Yangon headquarters to launch global birthday celebrations on Friday, a spokesperson said he had gone to the prison to take her a rice dish, birthday cake and flowers - although he was not allowed to see her.
Doves and balloons released by supporters
Security was tight at the party's base, with plainclothes police officers videotaping people arriving and five police trucks patrolling nearby.
Around 300 supporters at the building offered food to Buddhist monks at dawn, and later released doves and balloons into the air in a symbol of freedom before sharing a birthday cake, witnesses said.
Dressed in yellow T-shirts, the activists prayed and then clapped and shouted "May Daw Aung San Suu Kyi be free soon".
The ruling generals refused to recognise the NLD's landslide victory in 1990 elections, and critics say the latest charges against her are trumped up to keep her behind bars for polls promised in 2010.
Events scheduled in 15 cities
The trial, which could see her jailed for up to five more years, has provoked international outrage; US President Barack Obama denounced it as a "show trial".
European Union leaders were to make a 64-word call on Friday for her release, while the US State Department, in a birthday message, has urged the junta to free her immediately.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith reiterated Canberra's "grave concern" about her treatment and called for her release along with that of more than 2000 other political prisoners in Myanmar.
Events were scheduled in more than 15 cities around the world, ranging from live music and speeches in Malaysia, evening vigils in Ireland and Australia and debating forums in Thailand.
A global petition delivered on Monday to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and signed by more than 670,000 people from 220 countries, calls for the release of all Myanmar's political prisoners, especially Aung San Suu Kyi.
