INDIA IS under mounting pressure from the United States to act on Myanmar. The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh has been urged by 16 women senators in the US to join the international community in condemning the Myanmar military junta for its barbaric suppression of its citizens.

In a letter to the Prime Minister the US women senators, including presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, have called on India to use its influence to pressurise the junta to immediately release all political prisoners including democracy icon and Noble Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and to begin a dialogue with the opposition for national reconciliation.

The women senators, are members of the 'Senate Women's Caucus on Burma'. The letter to the PM early this week, voiced concern over India's relationship with the Myanmar junta. It highlighted the visit by Indian Petroleum Minister, Murli Deora to Myanmar when protests and demonstrations had peaked.

In the last week of September when the protests gained ground after Buddhist monks joined the movement, Deora arrived in Myanmar for talks on energy cooperation and deep-water exploration between the two neighbours.

The senators aware that India has been wooing the military junta to met its energy needs and contain northeast India insurgents sheltered in Myanmar, said that while understanding India’s concern relating to the threat posed by the rebel outfits in hiding in the neighbouring country, the military regime will only aggravate the problem.

"We firmly believe that any support for Myanmar’s current regime will only aggravate these problems. A stable, representative civilian government in Myanmar will be the best ally in addressing these problems," the women senators said in the letter.

The senators urged India to join the US, which has already extended economic sanctions on the junta, in its effort to support the people of the country by pressuring the regime to implement democratic changes.