Fri Oct 5, 4:36 AM ET

NEW DELHI - India, under fire for its low-key reaction to the violent suppression of pro-democracy protests in Myanmar, has called for Aung San Suu Kyi to be freed, but is not abandoning the authoritarian regime.

India issued the call concerning the opposition leader at a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on the situation in Myanmar, held in Geneva on Tuesday, according to an official statement released Thursday night.

"The government of India believes that the release of Aung San Suu Kyi would be helpful in terms of the process of democratisation and that she can contribute to the emergence of Myanmar as a democratic country," said Swashpawan Singh, India's envoy to the council.

It was the first time since the early 1990s that India has publicly sought the release of the 62-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has been under house arrest in Yangon for more than a decade.

Singh in his statement described Myanmar as a "close and friendly neighbour" with whom India shares "links of geography, culture, history and religion."

But he said the recent crackdown led by highly respected Buddhist monks, in which at least 13 people were killed, was a "matter of concern" for New Delhi.

However, he objected to the tough language in the Human Rights Council's resolution, which he said could hamper efforts to engage "the authorities in Myanmar in a constructive manner to facilitate a peaceful outcome."

India, which rolled out the red carpet for military strongman Than Shwe in a 2004 visit, was until the mid-1990s a staunch supporter of pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

New Delhi kept the military junta at arm's length after the 1988 crackdown on democracy protests, but changed tack when it decided its security interests in the northeast were in jeopardy.

Since India began engaging the Myanmar generals, both sides have cooperated in flushing out northeastern rebels along the joint border.

A foreign ministry official said although New Delhi had refrained from seeking any information about Suu Kyi in public, during private conversations with Myanmarese leaders it always sought information about her "wellbeing."

Earlier this week, under Western pressure to react, India urged Myanmar to launch a probe into the bloody crackdown and speed up the process of political reform.

A group of US senators on Wednesday demanded intense US pressure on China and India to force them to sever ties with Myanmar's junta.

But in a sign that India was unwilling to abandon the regime, Indian envoy Singh said he regretted the wording of the UN resolution, which strongly deplored "the continued violent repression of peaceful demonstrations."

Singh said the resolution's "unhelpful tone does not contribute to effectively pursuing the objective of engaging constructively with the authorities in Myanmar, which is essential to make a difference to the situation on the ground."

India was always in favour of "promotion and protection of human rights through dialogue and cooperation," in a manner that was "non-condemnatory," he added.

C. Uday Bhaskar, former head of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses think-tank, said India's statement showed it would continue with a "nuanced approach towards Myanmar."

India's call for change in Myanmar would not be "very strident," he said, even though "a lot of people are dismayed that India has taken the realpolitik line for a decade... that we have not been able to balance democratic values and security interests."