Myanmar junta to free 3,000 prisoners in Buddhist New Year amnesty

Myanmar’s junta on April 17, 2023, began releasing more than 3,000 prisoners to mark the Buddhist New Year, w

Myanmar's junta on Monday, April 17, 2023, began releasing more than 3,000 prisoners to mark the Buddhist New Year, without specifying whether those jailed in its bloody crackdown on dissent would be freed.

The military has arrested thousands since its coup more than two years ago, which plunged the country into turmoil and sparked widespread clashes with anti-coup fighters.

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing "pardoned 3,015 prisoners... to mark Myanmar New Year, for the peaceful mind of the people and on humanitarian grounds", the junta's information team said in a statement.

Those who re-offend would have to serve the remainder of their sentence with an additional penalty, the statement said.

It did not say whether anti-junta protesters or journalists jailed covering the coup and its aftermath would be among those freed.

A further 98 foreigners serving sentences in Myanmar would also be pardoned and freed, according to a separate junta statement that did not provide details.

Around 100 people gathered outside Insein prison in commercial hub Yangon after the announcement, hoping their friends and loved ones would be included in the amnesty.