OSLO, Dec. 10, 1996 (Kyodo) -- The two East Timorese joint winners of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize called Tuesday for restoration of democracy in Myanmar and for China to release political prisoners and improve the situation in Tibet.

Roman Catholic Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and East Timor resistance leader Jose Ramos-Horta, made the calls in separate acceptance speeches at the award ceremony in the Norwegian capital.

Belo, who has championed human rights in East Timor, called for "justice" in Myanmar and hailed efforts being made to that end by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, winner the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.

Belo accused leaders of the seven-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which Myanmar seeks to join, of "conniving" with the military junta in Myanmar "to deny the people of Burma their democratic victory."

The allusion was to the junta's refusal to honor the 1990 election victory by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy.

While praising the United States and the European Union for their efforts to bring democracy to Myanmar, Ramos-Horta urged them to "escalate the pressure" on the junta with additional diplomatic and economic sanctions.

Both laureates called on the Chinese government to release Wei Jingsheng and other political prisoners and expressed hope for an improvement in the situation in Tibet.

"I think of China and pray for the well-being of Mr. Wei Jingsheng and his colleagues and hope that they will soon be liberated from their jail cells," said Belo, adding that "The people of Tibet are never far from my prayers."

Ramos-Horta called Wei "one of China's best children" and lamented that "he is being wasted away when his talents could best be used in the service of his fellow Chinese people and country."

"I appeal to the Chinese leaders to listen to their own people's opinions and desires for a more open society, based on the rule of law, democracy, freedom of speech," he said.

On Tibet, Ramos-Horta called on Beijing to accept the "moderate peace proposal" of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader in exile and winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize.