Manila - Democracy activists on Wednesday picketed Myanmar's embassy in the Philippines to demand the military junta postpone Saturday's constitutional referendum and allow unrestricted entry of international relief after a deadly cyclone there.

The demonstrators, numbering about 30, said it was "improper and untimely" for the military junta to pursue the constitutional referendum while Myanmar's people are suffering from the devastation of Cyclone Nargis.

"While the people are so worried about survival in the midst of this disaster, the junta is too preoccupied thinking on how to pursue its referendum," said Egoy Bans, spokesman for the Free Burma Coalition in the Philippines.

"We hope the regime would now set aside self-interest for the sake of their own suffering people," he added. "The referendum can wait."

The coalition also urged the junta to allow the free movement of aid agencies amid reports of restrictions on the entry of aid agencies.

UN aid workers were reportedly still waiting for visas to enter the country.

Nargis struck at the weekend, killing more than 22,500 people. About 41,000 are missing in the aftermath of the disaster, deemed the worst to hit South-East Asia since the December 2004 tsunami.

It occurred just days ahead of a referendum on a draft constitution, which Myanmar's military junta has described as a key step in a "road map to democracy" but which would cement its role in Myanmar's politics.

State-run radio said the vote would be delayed until May 24 in 40 of 45 townships in Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, and seven in the Irrawaddy Delta, which are the worst-hit areas. The referendum, however, is to be held in other parts of the country. (dpa)