India has halted all arms sales and transfers to Myanmar, a development that could increase international pressure on the military junta that brutally crushed the pro-democracy “Saffron Revolution” led by monks this fall. The Indian Government’s decision has not been officially announced, but diplomatic sources said it had been privately confirmed by New Delhi to top US officials in recent weeks.

In a little-noticed statement, first lady Laura Bush noted the decision in a video teleconference she held on December 10 in recognition of International Human Rights Day. Ticking off actions taken by countries around the world in response to the crackdown, Bush said, “India, one of Burma’s closest trading partners, has stopped selling arms to the junta.” A spokesman for the Indian Embassy in Washington declined to comment.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is regarded as one of the world’s most repressive nations. The National League for Democracy, the party of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, won a landslide victory in the country’s last elections, in 1990, but the military leadership refused to recognise the outcome. Suu Kyi has been under house arrest or in prison on and off since then. But in September, massive demonstrations led by Buddhist monks threatened the junta’s rule, until the army arrested thousands of monks and democracy activists.

Of the thousands arrested, 700 remain behind bars along with 1,150 political prisoners already in detention, according to Amnesty International. At least six members of the 88 Generation Students, a leading pro-democracy group, were arrested last week, the State Department said.

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