Sat Sep 29, 8:43 AM ET

NEW DELHI - Myanmar refugees, including children and monks, staged a protest rally in the heart of the Indian capital and asked for India's intervention.

Carrying posters of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and banners reading "Down with military regime," the group of around 100 protestors shouted slogans against military rule.

"The junta has been very brutal. We condemn this killing of the monks and demand that it should be stopped immediately," said Neng Boi, a spokeswoman.

Neng Boi said the protestors handed over a letter to the Indian prime minister's office, asking New Delhi to put pressure on the Myanmar regime.

On Friday, Indian parliamentarians from various political parties attacked the Myanmar regime for the crackdown, which has resulted in hundreds of arrests and has left at least 13 dead.

The protest came as India walked a diplomatic tightrope, juggling energy and security concerns with a commitment to democracy.

New Delhi kept the military junta at arm's length after a 1988 crackdown on democracy protests and until the mid-1990s was a staunch supporter of pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

But it changed tack when it realised its security interests in its far-flung rebel-infested northeastern region, which neighbours Myanmar, were in jeopardy.

There are an estimated 1,700 refugees from Myanmar in New Delhi.