Myanmar announces new prisoner amnesty

Myanmar’s president granted amnesty yesterday to more than 600 people jailed across the country, an official said, although whether any political prisoners were included was not initially known.
The announcement came after an order to cut jail terms earlier this month dashed the hopes of the opposition and international community, who are calling for the release of hundreds of prisoners of conscience.
President Thein Sein “has given an amnesty to 651 prisoners from prisons around the country starting from January 13, 2012,” the official told AFP.
The move “aimed for national reconciliation and inclusiveness in the political process”, he said.
The United States and the European Union, encouraged by steps towards reform by the government that came to power last year, are demanding the release of political prisoners before they will consider lifting sanctions on Myanmar.
Last week’s decision to cut prison terms for detainees dashed expectations by failing to mention the plight of top dissidents, who include former student protesters, monks, journalists and lawyers.
Washington said the move fell short of what it expects to reward reforms undertaken by the army-backed regime.
Myanmar’s nominally civilian government, which in March replaced a long-ruling military junta, has raised hopes in recent months by reaching out to the opposition and the West.
About 200 political detainees were freed in October, but activists estimate there are still between 500 and more than 1,500 prisoners of conscience in Myanmar’s dilapidated jails.
Yesterday the government also signed a ceasefire with one of the country’s leading ethnic rebel groups, the Karen National Union, raising hopes of an end to one of the world’s longest-running civil conflicts.