Burma announces amnesty for political prisoners

Jason Burke   and agencies-Monday 17 September 2012
Family members wait outside Insein jail, Rangoon, during Burma’s last prisoner amnesty in January. Photograph: Khin Maung Win/AP 
Opposition party optimistic that 424 detainees will be released in latest amnesty as president prepares for trip to US 

Relatives, friends and associates of hundreds of political activists and human rights campaigners held in Burmese prisons are waiting for details of a new official amnesty which, according to state television, could see more than 500 detainees set free.

Though Monday’s announcement by the information ministry did not identify the prisoners, officials from Burma’s main opposition party said the move could mean all remaining political prisoners would be freed.

The release is the latest in a series of measures by the government of President Thein Sein, who has pledged to open up the once-isolated south-east Asian state.

It comes a day after Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel laureate and leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), arrived in the US for a major tour, during which she is expected to meet President Obama.

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