Myanmar frees around 4,900 prisoners to mark traditional new year
BANGKOK — Myanmar’s military government leader has pardoned approximately 4,900 prisoners in honor of the country’s traditional new year, as reported by state media on Thursday. The amnesty announcement did not specify how many of the released individuals were political prisoners detained for opposing military rule.
Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the ruling military council, granted clemency to 4,893 prisoners, according to MRTV. Additionally, thirteen foreign nationals will be released and deported from Myanmar, as stated in a separate announcement.
While some prisoners had their sentences reduced, individuals convicted of serious crimes such as murder and rape, or those imprisoned under various security acts, were not eligible for amnesty.
The terms of the release stipulate that if the pardoned individuals violate the law again, they will be required to serve the remainder of their original sentences in addition to any new sentence imposed.
It is customary in Myanmar to grant mass amnesties during the new year holiday, with the releases taking place at prisons across the country.
On Thursday morning, dozens of relatives and friends of prisoners gathered outside the main gate of Insein Prison in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city. Specific details about the number of prisoners released from Insein as part of the amnesty were not disclosed.
Since the military seized power on February 1, 2021, following the ousting of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, Myanmar has been in a state of civil war as widespread resistance to military rule continues.
As of last Friday, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners reported that there were approximately 22,197 political detainees, including Suu Kyi, being held in detention. Many of these detainees had been arrested on charges of incitement, a broadly applied offense used to target government critics.
This year’s Thingyan celebrations, the New Year holiday, were more subdued than usual due to a period of national mourning following a destructive earthquake in March. The earthquake, which struck central Myanmar, claimed the lives of around 3,725 people and caused widespread destruction.
In a New Year’s address aired on Thursday, Min Aung Hlaing pledged to expedite reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the earthquake-affected regions. He also reiterated the government’s commitment to holding a general election by the end of the year and urged opposition groups to seek political resolutions to the ongoing conflicts.
Despite the holiday, clashes between the military and pro-democracy forces persisted, with reports of armed confrontations in rural areas, although casualty figures were not specified.
