A monk who led a 2007 uprising against Burma's former military government has returned to his monastery after being taken for questioning by the authorities just weeks after his release from prison, a family member said today.
Shin Gambira, the leader of the Alliance of All Burma Buddhist Monks, was taken from a monastery in commercial capital Yangon on Thursday night by city authorities and officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, but returned home safely late on yesterday.
"He told us that he met some government officials and senior monks. He said he was treated well," the family member said, without elaborating and requesting anonymity.
Shin Gambira's brief detention is still shrouded in mystery.
The United States expressed concern yesterday and demanded his immediate release and for Burma to "protect the fundamental freedoms of all its citizens, including all of those recently released from detention".
The United States is monitoring the country closely before deciding whether to lift a range of economic sanctions in place for human rights abuses by the former military regime, which made way for a civilian government 11 months ago.
Shin Gambira (33) as one of the leaders of the pro-democracy "Saffron Revolution" during which monks led protests against the junta that had ruled the country for 49 years.
At least 31 people were killed during the uprising that was brutally crushed by security forces, with hundreds beaten and arrested.
The crackdown led to the imposition of additional sanctions on the regime - embargoes that are currently being reviewed by the United States and the European Union in response to a series of surprise reforms.
Shin Gambira was sentenced to 68 years in prison for his role in the protests but was released in a mass amnesty of political prisoners on Jan 13. In an interview last month, he said he had endured beatings, solitary confinement and sleep deprivation.
Several associates of Shin Gambira told Reuters they suspected he was suffering from mental problems because of the ill treatment and interrogation endured while in prison.
A fellow activist monk, known as Issariya, said he suspected Shin Gambira was detained for entering a monastery that had been sealed off by the authorities.
Reuters