Bodhgaya (India), 27.07.2010 – Myanmar’s reclusive military ruler Than Shwe toured one of Buddhism’s holiest shrines on Monday on a state visit to India amid protests in New Delhi and condemnation from rights groups.
The general, accompanied by his wife, visited the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya in eastern India, which stands next to the spot where Buddha is said to have gained enlightenment.
Than Shwe will be accorded a full state welcome in New Delhi on Tuesday – an event that has aroused controversy given his junta’s human rights record.
A crowd of about 100 pro-democracy Myanmar demonstrators gathered in New Delhi, shouting slogans and carrying posters that labelled the leader ‘a murderer of innocent people’ and a military dictator. They later burned a large poster of him in military uniform.
Once a staunch supporter of Myanmar’s democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, India began engaging the junta in the mid-1990s as security, energy and strategic priorities began to override concerns over democracy and human rights.
As well as needing the military regime’s help to counter ethnic separatists operating along their common border, India is eyeing oil and gas fields in Myanmar – formerly Burma – and fears losing out to China in the race for strategic influence in Asia. The European Union and United States among others have targeted Myanmar with economic sanctions and travel bans, but their impact has been diluted by the engagement of China, India and Thailand with the military regime.
Source: Straits Times
