The UN Security Council has called for an end to the ongoing violence in Myanmar, one year after the government there was overthrown in a coup.

Members of the Security Council issued a statement expressing their alarm at the situation and calling for citizens to be protected. The year of unrest has cut off many people from their homes and basic necessities.

Some 1,500 people have reportedly died in the military crackdown on pro-democracy protests. Facilities providing healthcare and education have also been targeted. The Council's statement condemned all violence.

It also called for the release of pro-democracy leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, who are still being held by Myanmar's military.

The junta has extended the state of emergency for a further six months and says it will hold an election in August next year.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has also joined the chorus of concern over the situation. It issued a Chairman's Statement saying ASEAN members "urge Myanmar authorities to take concrete actions to... fully implement the five-point consensus" agreed last April.

That consensus includes halting the violence immediately, allowing humanitarian assistance and accepting an ASEAN mediator.

The statement calls for newly appointed envoy, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, to be allowed to visit as soon as possible.

The ASEAN foreign ministers are scheduled to meet later this month, but opinions differ among members.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, this year's chairman of the bloc, visited Myanmar in early January to hold talks with the country's military leader. Hun Sen hopes to bring Myanmar back to the ASEAN table, but some other members have reacted sharply to the move.