Sept 14, 2009 (DVB), Senior Burmese opposition member Win Tin has been released by police after being taken from his home, apparently to assist with an interrogation, he said at the weekend.

Officers from the government Special Police Information Branch summoned the National League for Democracy (NLD) party member on Saturday, and held him for around five hours.

"It looked like someone who was under interrogation said something and they [police] wanted to know if I knew about those things," said Win Tin.

He added that the officials were courteous to him and also told him they would probably summon him again for further questions.

"[When the officials arrived] I told them I would refuse to go with them if they didn't tell me who wanted to see me and why," said Win Tin.

"They said they were from the Special Police Information Branch and told me the reason so I went with them."

Win Tin, a member of the NLD's central executive committee, had previously been imprisoned for 19 years, before being released in late 2008. At the time he was Burma's longest serving political prisoner.

He was a regular presence outside the gates of Rangoon's Insein prison during the three-month trial of Aung San Suu Kyi, which ended in August.

He had originally been lined up to act as a witness in her defence, but was barred by the court from testifying.

Reporting by Thurein Soe