After so much criticism in media reports for its low level reaction on the violent suppression against pro-democratic rallies and protests in Myanmar, the government of India has finally asked the military rulers in the neighboring country to release the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi soon.

On Tuesday, India put forward the demand to release Aung San Suu Kyi at a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Myanmar in New York.

Swashpawan Singh, India’s envoy to the UN council, said:

Myanmar is a close and friendly neighbour with whom India shares links of geography, culture, history and religion.

The government of India believes that the release of Aung San Suu Kyi would be helpful in terms of the process of democratisation and that she can contribute to the emergence of Myanmar as a democratic country.

According to the report, it has happened for the first time since 90s that India has openly asked Myanmar military rulers to release 62-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi. She has been under house arrest for more ten years by the military rulers in Myanmar.

Singh said in a written statement, released on Thursday, that the recent attack on pro-democracy protesters and on Buddhist monks and the killing of at least 13 people were a matter of concern for India. India is closely monitoring the incidents happening in the neighboring county.

India was great supporter of pro-democratic movements in Myanmar until mid years of 1990s. The government of India had criticized the military junta after the 1988 crackdown on pro-democratic protests. However, in the late 1990s, India changed the track for it’s own security interests in the northeast region. India started engaging the Myanmar military rulers in keeping the northeastern rebels under control at the joint border. Now, India openly asked the military junta to release Suu Kyi by changing it’s track again.

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