YANGON: Myanmar’s government is preparing to release prisoners under an amnesty, for the second time in just over a month, ”very soon” and more political detainees should be among them, a senior official said on Sunday.
Details of the amnesty would become clear within two days, the official at the interior ministry told Reuters, and political detainees, sometimes called ”prisoners of conscience”, would be included.
”Of course, those referred to as prisoners of conscience will be released very, very soon and the rest of them will be moved to the detention centres close to their families,” said the official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
”Just wait for a day or two to see the details,”, he added, declining to say whether prominent activists would be among those who are freed.
Myanmar new civilian government, which took office on March 30, freed about 230 political detainees in a general amnesty on October 12, a move welcomed by the West as sign that the former generals in charge might start to ease their strict control of the country after five decades of military rule.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday there were signs that Myanmar was making ”real changes” and if all political prisoners were freed and reforms introduced, the United States was willing to become its ”partner”. (UNI)