Myanmar to release thousands from jail

Yangon, Myanmar: Myanmar announced Tuesday it was releasing 6,300 prisoners in a widely expected amnesty by the newly elected government, but it was not clear how many of them were political detainees.

The release of some of the country's estimated 2,000 political prisoners has been hotly anticipated as part of liberalising measures since Myanmar's long-ruling military government handed power in March to a military-backed, civilian administration.

State radio and television said 6,359 inmates would be released under a humanitarian amnesty by President Thein Sein for inmates who are old, disabled, unwell or who had shown good ‘moral behaviour.' However, the reports did not specify how many were political detainees. Myanmar's government has long maintained political prisoners are not a separate class and that all inmates have been convicted under criminal law.

Relatives and supporters of political detainees were excited by the announcement, but wary, given they could not be sure who would be among those released. "We welcome the amnesty announcement. This is very good news and we hope that political prisoners will be among those freed," said Nyan Win, a spokesman for democracy movement leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The president instituted an earlier amnesty soon after taking office, but it included just a few dozen political detainees.

No longer a threat

Most prominent political prisoners, including many affiliated with ethnic minorities, are held in facilities far from the country's main city of Yangon, in a policy apparently aimed at limiting their ability to communicate through visiting family members and lawyers.

Myanmar's tightly controlled state newspapers had published an appeal Tuesday for a release of political prisoners who no longer represent a threat to stability, in a sign that such an amnesty had official blessing.

The appeal in the three state newspapers was an open letter from the government-appointed National Human Rights Commission calling for amnesty as a gesture of magnanimity.