Myanmar on Wednesday began transferring some political prisoners from remote jails to facilities closer to their families, according to a security official, but there was no sign when others might be freed.
News of the transfer was received warily by family and associates of prisoners, who feared it might take the place of a broader release, which had been anticipated this week. They also questioned the benefits of such transfers.
A home ministry official said the transfers included some prominent prisoners. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information, identified three of those being moved as former student activists Min Ko Naing and Nilar Thein, and ethnic Shan politician Hkun Tun Oo.
‘MAGNANIMITY’
Myanmar’s three state-owned newspapers had published an open letter on Sunday from Burmese National Human Rights Commission chairman Win Mra calling on Myanmar President Thein Sein to grant an amnesty to political detainees “as a reflection of magnanimity,” or to transfer political prisoners to facilities with easier access for their family members.
The letter’s publication was notable because the newspapers closely reflect government positions. An amnesty of 6,359 prisoners, including about 200 political detainees, last month occurred on the same day that state-run newspapers published a similar appeal.
A release has also been anticipated as ASEAN officials began meeting yesterday in Bali, Indonesia. Myanmar is seeking to chair the group in 2014, and the release of political prisoners would be seen as a positive development favoring its bid, which is likely to be confirmed at this week’s summit.
Asked if her family in Yangon was aware of the transfers, Min Ko Naing’s sister, Kyi Kyi Nyunt, said they were not officially informed of the move.
MORE CONVENIENT
According to the official, Min Ko Naing was being moved from Keng Tung, 1,180km north of Yangon in Shan State, to Thayet in Magway Region, 550km north of Yangon. The distance is shorter, but it is arguably more convenient to fly to Keng Tung than to take a car and then a ferry across the Irrawaddy River to Thayet.
In recent years, political detainees who previously would have been held at Insein Prison in Yangon have instead been sent to jails in remote areas of the country in an apparent effort to make it difficult for them to communicate with the outside.
Myanmar’s nominally civilian government, which took power in March, has declared its intention to liberalize the hard-line policies of the junta that preceded it. It has taken some steps, such as easing censorship; legalizing labor unions; suspending an unpopular, China-backed dam project; and beginning talks with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her pro-democracy movement.
In return for such moves, it hopes to improve relations with the West, particularly the US, which had imposed political and economic sanctions against the previous military regime for its repressive policies.
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