NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh departed Sunday on a three-day visit to Myanmar that underscores India's quest for energy supplies and concerns about China's strong influence in the Southeast Asian country.YANGON, Myanmar – A prominent Buddhist monk who was one of hundreds of political prisoners freed in Myanmar last month was detained today after a pre-dawn visit by authorities, an official said.
Shin Gambira was one of the leaders of the so-called Saffron Revolution, a 2007 anti-government uprising against the then-ruling junta. He was detained after the uprising and released Jan. 13 as part of a mass release of political prisoners that has been hailed as a sign of Myanmar’s new government’s willingness to make reforms.
Today’s detention of Gambira, however, had echoes of the previous administration, which was known for whisking away its critics in the middle of the night.
An official from the Home Ministry said that Gambira was “taken away” from the Yangon monastery where he was staying and brought for “questioning in relation to an incident that happened after his release.”
The official, who spoke on condition on anonymity, said that Gambira and other monks had illegally entered monasteries that had been shut after the 2007 uprising.
It was not immediately clear how long Gambira would be detained.
Gambira had also publicly voiced skepticism about the new government’s commitment to democratic reforms.
His detention comes amid widespread international attention on Myanmar, where the new nominally civilian government has drawn cautious praise.
The U.S. and European Union have called the progress positive steps forward but say they will be closely watching an upcoming April by-election before deciding whether to lift sanctions that were imposed during military rule.
