Myanmar junta to release nearly 6,000 prisoners
YANGON: Myanmar’s military rulers granted amnesty to Sean Turnell, an Australian economist and former adviser to democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, among nearly 6,000 prisoners to be freed to mark a national holiday, state media reported on Thursday.
A diplomatic source told Reuters Turnell as well as former British ambassador to Myanmar, Vicky Bowman, had been freed and had left Myanmar by plane, adding they were due to fly to Thailand.
Kyodo news agency, citing sources, reported that Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota had also been released.
The foreigners were given amnesty “for the relationship with other countries and also for humanitarian purposes”, and had been asked to leave the country, state media said.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military’s coup in February last year, when it arrested civilian leaders including Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, ending a decade of tentative democracy.
The coup sparked nationwide protests that were often violently shut down, leading to thousands of arrests and fuelling an armed resistance movement.
Two witnesses told Reuters they saw a bus leave the notorious Insein Prison in the commercial capital Yangon on Thursday afternoon, with some of those named in the amnesty aboard.
Australian foreign minister Penny Wong earlier welcomed reports about Turnell, who was found guilty of violating a state secrets law and sentenced in September to three years in jail.
Earlier this month, Wong said Australia was considering imposing sanctions on Myanmar.
Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government (NUG) said it was heartened by the amnesty, but said the world should not be duped by the junta.
“These types of hostage tactics by the junta should not fool the international community into believing that the military has changed its colours,” said Htin Linn Aung, an NUG minister and spokesperson.
Altogether, 5,774 prisoners will be released including 600 women.