Myanmar's
president has begun freeing all remaining political prisoners by granting
amnesty to dozens of inmates. The leader says returning them to society can
help transition Myanmar into a more democratic country.
President
Thein Sein had approved the release of some 70 political prisoners, according
to officials on Tuesday.
The inmates
who received amnesty came from various prisons around the country. It was not
immediately known when their official release would take place.
The
executive director of Burma Campaign UK said the move was "welcome,"
but not enough.
"It's
important to remember that many still remain in prison and all the repressive
laws that put them there are still in place," Burma Campaign UK executive
director Anna Roberts told the news agency Associated Press.
Thein
Sein's decision came roughly a week after he had announced his intention to
empty Myanmar's jails of their remaining political prisoners by the end of the
year, estimated to be between 100 and 200 people.
During a
speech at London's Chatham House think-tank early last week, the Myanmar
president vowed to continue his reforms aimed at releasing his country from its
troubled political past.
"We
are aiming for nothing less than a transition from half a century of military
rule and authoritarianism to democracy," Thein Sein told the Chatham House
audience, adding that a vital step toward this goal would be having "no
prisoners of conscience in Myanmar."
The EU has
dropped most sanctions against Thein Sein due to reform policies he has introduced
since 2011, when he became Myanmar's first civilian president in almost 50
years. However, Western leaders remain concerned about the state of human
rights in the southeast Asian country, formerly known as Burma. Last year,
violence between Myanmar's Buddhists and Rohinya Muslim minority led to the
deaths of more than 200 people and displaced at least 150,000.
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