Buddhist monk detained in Burma

A prominent Buddhist monk who was one of hundreds of political prisoners freed in Burma last month has been detained after a pre-dawn raid by authorities. Shin Gambira was one of the leaders of the 'saffron revolution', a 2007 anti-government uprising against the then ruling junta. He was detained after the uprising and released on 13 January as part of a mass release of political prisoners that has been hailed as a sign of Burma's new government's willingness to make reforms. The news of Gambira's detention, 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 Gambira was taken from the Rangoon monastery where he was staying and brought for "questioning in relation to an incident that happened after his release". The official said 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 scepticism about the new government's commitment to democratic reforms. His detention comes amid widespread international attention on Burma, where the new, nominally civilian government has drawn cautious praise. The US and European Union have welcomed recent progress but say they will be closely watching an April byelection before deciding whether to lift sanctions imposed during military rule.(Guardian)