Myanmar’s military govt pardons 10,000 prisoners to mark Independence Day

Bangkok: Myanmar’s military government on Thursday pardoned nearly 10,000 prisoners to mark the 76th anniversary of gaining independence from Britain, but it wasn’t immediately clear if any of those released included the thousands of political detainees jailed for opposing army rule. The head of Myanmar ‘s military council, Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, pardoned 9,652 prisoners to mark the holiday, state-run MRTV television reported.

Min Aung Hlaing also granted amnesty to 114 jailed foreigners who will be deported, MRTV said in a separate report. The prisoner releases were expected to begin Thursday and take several days to be completed. At Insein Prison in Yangon notorious for decades for housing political detainees relatives of prisoners gathered at the gates from early morning.

The identities of those granted pardons were not immediately available. There was no sign that among the prisoners being released would be Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been held virtually incommunicado by the military since it seized power from her elected government in February 2021.