Myanmar will release a total of 5,636 prisoners jailed for protesting the coup that ousted the civilian government, the head of the country’s military junta said Monday.
Min Aung Hlaing said he would free dissenters as part of the Thadingyut festiveal on October 20.
It follows a regional ASEAN summit over Myanmar on October 26-28 that excluded the country’s leader for his role in deepening the crisis.
Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for Myanmar’s military junta, blamed “foreign interventions,” from the US and the EU the junta’s exclusion.
Instead, influential ASEAN leaders invited a “non-political representative” from the country to attend the meetings, which seek a “return to normalcy” in the troubled south east Asian state.
What is the situation with former leader Aung San Suu Kyi?
On Friday, the lawyer of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s former leader, revealed he had been gagged during ongoing trials against her.
Protesters in London demand the release of former elected Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi
Suu Kyi faces a number of charges including corruption, after she swept to power in 2015 elections.
Supporters and independent observers say the charges have been made up to strengthen the military grip on power.
jc/rt (AFP, Reuters)
