KrazyRabidSheep
19th November 2004, 05:52
Myanmar to Release Almost 4,000 Prisoners
Thu Nov 18, 3:35 PM ET
YANGON, Myanmar - Myanmar's military government will release almost 4,000 prisoners whose detentions were ruled irrelevant or improper, state-run media reported Thursday.
However, there were no indications the releases include political prisoners, particularly Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
The order for the prisoners' release came from the ruling junta, the reports said.
The announcement said 3,937 prisoners had been wrongly charged by the former National Intelligence Bureau, an umbrella organization of internal security organizations that was dissolved by the junta last month.
The bureau had been headed by former Prime Minister Gen. Khin Nyunt, who was ousted Oct. 19 and subsequently accused of corruption and insubordination.
Khin Nyunt's removal from power was believed to have been orchestrated by hard-line members of the junta opposed to his relative moderation in dealing with the country's pro-democracy movement, led by Suu Kyi.
Myanmar is estimated to be holding more than 1,200 political prisoners, many of them associated with the Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.
Suu Kyi herself is under house arrest in Yangon, having been detained in May 2003 after a clash between her followers and government supporters.
The freedom of political prisoners is a major demand of the United Nations (news - web sites) and Western countries, who criticize the military regime for its poor human rights record and failure to hand over power to a democratically elected government.
Suu Kyi's party won a 1990 general election, but the military refused to relinquish power. Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...risoner_release (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041118/ap_on_re_as/myanmar_prisoner_release)
Thu Nov 18, 3:35 PM ET
YANGON, Myanmar - Myanmar's military government will release almost 4,000 prisoners whose detentions were ruled irrelevant or improper, state-run media reported Thursday.
However, there were no indications the releases include political prisoners, particularly Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
The order for the prisoners' release came from the ruling junta, the reports said.
The announcement said 3,937 prisoners had been wrongly charged by the former National Intelligence Bureau, an umbrella organization of internal security organizations that was dissolved by the junta last month.
The bureau had been headed by former Prime Minister Gen. Khin Nyunt, who was ousted Oct. 19 and subsequently accused of corruption and insubordination.
Khin Nyunt's removal from power was believed to have been orchestrated by hard-line members of the junta opposed to his relative moderation in dealing with the country's pro-democracy movement, led by Suu Kyi.
Myanmar is estimated to be holding more than 1,200 political prisoners, many of them associated with the Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.
Suu Kyi herself is under house arrest in Yangon, having been detained in May 2003 after a clash between her followers and government supporters.
The freedom of political prisoners is a major demand of the United Nations (news - web sites) and Western countries, who criticize the military regime for its poor human rights record and failure to hand over power to a democratically elected government.
Suu Kyi's party won a 1990 general election, but the military refused to relinquish power. Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...risoner_release (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041118/ap_on_re_as/myanmar_prisoner_release)