Families of detained Burmese protesters had their hopes dashed yesterday, after political prisoners were not included in the 1,619 people released by the junta to mark the Buddhist New Year.
The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government was ousted last year in a military coup, which sparked huge protests and a deadly crackdown.
State television announced that the prisoners, including 42 foreigners, had been “pardoned” and would be released to mark the new year — an annual tradition that last year saw 23,000 prisoners freed.
Photo: Assistance Association for Myanmar-Based Independent Journalists/Handout via REUTERS
A prisoner released from Yangon’s Insein prison said that “political cases and protesters were not among those released,” with authorities only freeing criminals.
Crowds in front of the prison slowly left in the afternoon. More than 100 people had gathered hoping to be reunited with loved ones, Agence France-Presse correspondents said.
Among them was a woman waiting for her 19-year-old nephew, sentenced to three years in prison for incitement against the military.
“He was young, and he may have some feeling to fight,” she said, declining to give her name. “I wish all young children will be released including my nephew. They all were innocent.”
Aye Myint, whose 19-year-old daughter was serving three years on a political charge, had hoped she would be released.
“Now, she has been more than one year in prison,” Aye Myint said.
At about midday, a prison officer said that “about 160 prisoners including six women prisoners” had been released from Insein, without giving more details.
There was no mention of Australian economist Sean Turnell, a former adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi who was arrested shortly after the coup.
He is on trial for allegedly breaching the Burma Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum 14-year jail sentence.
The exact details of his alleged offense have not been made public.
The Buddhist New Year is usually a joyous holiday celebrated in many parts of the country with water fights. This year, the streets in many major cities have been silent as people protest junta rule.
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