News & Articles on Burma

Sunday, 13 November, 2011
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BURMA GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES A NEW AMNESTY

07:11 13 NOV 2011

(AGI) Yangon - The Myanmar government announced a new amnesty and the liberation of more political prisoners. "Some inmates will be released on Monday", an official source stated without further details. In October, a previous amnesty freed some 200 detainees. The announcement coincided with a press conference of the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, celebrating the first anniversary of her liberation from house arrest. . .
http://www.agi.it/english-version/world/elenco-notizie/201111130711-pol-ren1001-burma_government_announces_a_new_amnesty
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Call to free political prisoners in Burma
13/11/2011 - 12:08:30
A government-appointed human rights body has urged Burma's new president to release political prisoners or transfer them to prisons close to their families.

The appeal comes as speculation rises about a new amnesty covering some of the country's estimated 2,000 political prisoners.

Burma's three state-owned newspapers have published an open letter from National Human Rights Commission chairman Win Mra, calling on president Thein Sein to grant amnesty "as a reflection of magnanimity," or to transfer political prisoners in remote prisons to facilities with easy access for their family members.

A similar appeal was published in October on the same day the government announced an amnesty of 6,359 prisoners, including about 200 political detainees.

Read more: http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/call-to-free-political-prisoners-in-burma-528182.html#ixzz1dagwUL5Z
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Myanmar to free more political prisoners "soon"
By Aung Hla Tun, YANGON | Sun Nov 13, 2011 1:34am EST

(Reuters) - Myanmar's government is preparing to release prisoners under an amnesty, for the second time in just over a month, "very soon" and more political detainees should be among them, a senior official said on Sunday.

Details of the amnesty would become clear within two days, the official at the interior ministry told Reuters, and political detainees, sometimes called "prisoners of conscience," would be included.

"Of course, those referred to as prisoners of conscience will be released very, very soon and the rest of them will be moved to the detention centers close to their families," said the official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

"Just wait for a day or two to see the details,," he added, declining to say whether prominent activists would be among those who are freed.

Myanmar new civilian government, which took office on March 30, freed about 230 political detainees in a general amnesty on October 12, a move welcomed by the West as sign that the former generals in charge might start to ease their strict control of the country after five decades of military rule.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday there were signs that Myanmar was making "real changes" and if all political prisoners were freed and reforms introduced, the United States was willing to become its "partner."

SUMMIT APPROACHING

If the amnesty goes ahead in the next two days, it would coincide with the start of an Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit on the Indonesian island of Bali.

It would strengthen Myanmar's case for taking the rotating ASEAN presidency in 2014, two years ahead of schedule.

Analysts say hosting the summit would help to satisfy the government's craving for legitimacy and help it present a case for concrete assistance from international financial institutions to overhaul the resource-rich country's long-stagnant economy.

It also comes as an open letter to President Thein Sein was published in state-controlled newspapers on Sunday, calling for political prisoners to be freed. Such newspapers are tightly controlled by the government and have for decades served as mouthpieces for the military junta.

The letter, from the chairman of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission, Win Mra, said that there were about 500 political prisoners who should all be freed. Those who could not be released should be transferred to facilities close to their families, he said.

Recent overtures by the government have included calls for peace with ethnic minority rebel groups, some tolerance of criticism in the media and direct contact between Thein Sein and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released last year from 15 years of house arrest.

The United States, Europe and Australia have made the release of political prisoners a key condition before they would consider lifting sanctions imposed on the pariah nation.

Myanmar has long been accused of dragging down ASEAN and hindering its progress toward becoming an EU-style community by 2015. However, many analysts and diplomats believe another amnesty before the summit would forestall criticism.

"So far as I heard it will come tomorrow in good time before President Thein Sein leaves for the ASEAN summit," said an Asian diplomat, who asked not to be identified.

"It surely will help the president save face at the summit," he added.

(Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Robert Birsel) http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/13/us-myanmar-prisoners-idUSTRE7AC08E20111113?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=22&sp=true
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Burma's Rights Commission Calls for Release of Political Prisoners
Posted Sunday, November 13th, 2011 at 3:10 am

Burma's government-appointed human rights body has urged the new president to release political prisoners or transfer them to prisons close to their families.

Burma's state-run newspapers published an open letter Sunday from National Human Rights Commission chairman Win Mra, calling on President Thein Sein to grant amnesty as a reflection of magnanimity or to transfer political prisoners in remote prisoners to facilities with easy access for their family members.

The letter praised the release on October 11 of 6,369 prisoners but noted that only 200 of them were classified as prisoners of conscience.

Burma is estimated to hold around 2,000 political prisoners.http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/11/13/burmas-rights-commission-calls-for-release-of-political-prisoners/
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New plea made to free Myanmar political prisoners

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) --- A government-appointed human rights body on Sunday urged Myanmar's president to release political prisoners or transfer them to prisons close to their families, signaling that such action may be imminent.

The appeal comes amid intense speculation about a new amnesty covering some of the country's estimated 2,000 political prisoners. A comprehensive release of political detainees would boost the already active diplomatic efforts to improve relations with the United States, which shunned the previous military regime because of its poor human rights record and failure to allow free and democratic politics.

Myanmar's three state-owned newspapers published an open letter Sunday from National Human Rights Commission chairman Win Mra calling on President Thein Sein to grant amnesty "as a reflection of magnanimity," or to transfer political prisoners in remote prisons to facilities with easy access for their family members.

The letter's publication is significant because the tightly controlled newspapers closely reflect government positions. In October, the government announced an amnesty of 6,359 prisoners on the same day a similar appeal was carried in state-run newspapers.

A prisoner release in the next few days is also anticipated because it would take place just before a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, begins Thursday in Bali, Indonesia. Myanmar is seeking to chair ASEAN in 2014, and the release of political prisoners would be seen as a positive development favoring its bid, which is likely to be decided at this week's summit.

Myanmar's nominally civilian government, which took power in March, has declared its intention to liberalize the hard-line polices of the junta that preceded it.

"It appears there are real changes taking place on the ground, and we support these early efforts at reform," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told reporters Friday on the sidelines of an annual Pacific Rim summit. "We want to see the people of Burma able to participate fully in the political life of their own country." The military changed Burma's name to Myanmar in 1989, but Washington and other backers of the country's pro-democracy movement prefer to use the old name.

In his open letter, Win Mra requested that the president grant amnesty "to those prisoners convicted for breach of existing laws, who do not pose a threat to the stability of the state and public tranquility."

The appeal clearly referred to political prisoners, although the term was not used. The government asserts that it holds no political prisoners, only people convicted under criminal law.

"If for reasons of maintaining peace and stability, certain prisoners cannot as yet be included in the amnesty, the commission would like to respectfully submit that consideration be made for transferring them to prisons with easy access for their family members," the letter said.

In recent years, political detainees who in the past would have been held at Insein Prison in the main city of Yangon have instead been sent to jails in remote parts of the country in an apparent effort to make it difficult for them to communicate with the outside. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jxIEVWQXN_ISfrfhyxjcZBxjOWfQ?docId=1780a04d01294dfd8f47764002fdbb31
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Burma will free more political prisoners soon
By Zin Linn Nov 13, 2011 11:34PM UTC

The Burmese government's appointed human rights body -- Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) -- has submitted an open letter to President Thein Sein today to release political prisoners or transfer them to prisons close to their families.

The MNHRC 's chairman Win Mra has urged the president to liberate prisoners of conscience. The appeal comes as speculations get higher about a new amnesty covering some of the country's estimated 18,000 political prisoners.

Burma's state-owned newspapers have published an open letter from National Human Rights Commission chairman Win Mra, calling on President Thein Sein to grant amnesty "as a reflection of magnanimity," or to transfer political prisoners in remote prisons to facilities with trouble-free access for their family members.

A similar and first appeal letter was published on 11 October and the next day the government announced an amnesty of 6,359 prisoners, including over 200 political prisoners. On 12 October, the President Thein Sein government announced releasing 6,359 prisoners under an amnesty for elderly, ailing and obedient prisoners.

On 10 November, Speaking in Honolulu ahead of a weekend Asia-Pacific summit, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the United States was ready to become a "partner" of Burma if it makes good on signs of reform in the long isolated country.

"Many questions remain, including the government's continuous locking up of political prisoners and whether reform will be sustained and extended to include peace and reconciliation in the ethnic minority areas," Clinton said.

Earlier in November, two senior US officials---State Department human rights chief Michael Posner and special envoy for Burma, Derek Mitchell---also toured Burma and said they had constructive meetings with Burmese government officials and military leaders. They said if there is proof of true reform, the US "will be partners in that effort," though they noted that the lifting of key sanctions, including a law barring US support for international loans to Burma, would require action by the US Congress.

In October amnesty, prominent political prisoners Gen. Hso Ten, Zarganar and Su Su Nway were released; many more other prominent student leaders such as Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Min Zeya, Htay Kywe and ethnic leaders such as U Khun Tun Oo are still languishing in tarnished jails in Burma.

Although Government said it released 6,359 prisoners last month, most of them were ordinary criminals. In addition, the government constantly refuses to recognize that there are nearly 2,000 political prisoners in its notorious prisons.

If this second amnesty in two months carries on subsequently in a few days, it would be coincided with the start of an Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit on the island of Bali in Indonesian. It would make stronger Burma's topic for gaining the rotating ASEAN chairmanship in 2014, two years earlier than timetable. So, the release of political prisoners would be seen as a positive development favoring its ASEAN chair bid, which is likely to be decided at this forthcoming summit.

As said by the appeal letter, the commission underlined that if certain prisoners cannot be included in the current amnesty due to security reasons, they should be considered transferring to prisons with easy access for their family members.

The MNHRC's chairman Win Mra's plea plainly referred to political prisoners, although the term was not applied. The government always refuses that there are no political prisoners in its jails, only people found guilty under criminal law.

The amnesty message coincided with a press conference of the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, celebrating the first anniversary of her liberation from house arrest. http://asiancorrespondent.com/69446/burma-will-free-more-political-prisoners-soon/