SINGAPORE, Sept 27, 2007 (AFP) - Police in Singapore, where public protests are rare, said Thursday they were reviewing an application by a Myanmar national to hold a 'procession.'

"Police take a stern view against those who organise and participate in illegal assemblies or processions. Police confirm that we had received an application from a Myanmese for a permit to conduct an outdoor procession," a
police spokesman told AFP.

The Straits Times reported that some Myanmar residents in the city-state were considering holding a protest outside the embassy of the military-ruled state.

It is illegal for five or more people to congregate in public in Singapore without a police permit.

Myanmar security forces used batons, tear gas and live rounds Wednesday in a crackdown on mass protests against the junta, killing at least four people including three Buddhist monks in the main city, Yangon.

The crackdown has sparked global outrage and calls for the junta to show restraint.

Singapore's strict laws against unlawful assembly gained prominence during last year's meetings in the city-state of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

Then pro-democracy activist Chee Soon Juan engaged in a three-day standoff with police, who stopped him and a small group of followers from marching to the meeting venue after police rejected his application for a permit.

Singapore is an important economic partner of Myanmar, whose Prime Minister Soe Win spent weeks in the city-state earlier this year. Junta leader Than Shwe also visited in January for a medical checkup.