Mizzima News

New Delhi: India has asked the military regime in Burma to release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. New Delhi made this demand at a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Myanmar in New York on Tuesday, a MEA release on Thursday said.

India's envoy to the UNHRC Swashpawan Singh stated; "The government of India believes that the release of Aung San Suu Kyi would be helpful in terms of the process of democratization and that she can contribute to the emergence of Myanmar as a democratic country," the MEA release added.

Describing Burma as a "close and friendly neighbour" with whom India shares "links of geography, culture, history and religion", Singh noted that recent developments in that country were a matter of concern for New Delhi.

"We are closely monitoring the situation there," Singh said, the MEA release said.

Singh who is India's permanent representative at the UN pointed out that External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had met his Burmese counterpart, U Nyan Win at New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session on October 1 and conveyed India's concern.

It is the first time since the early 1990s that India has publicly sought the release of the 62-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. The pro-democracy leader has been under house arrest since 2000.