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Burma Amnesty welcomed, but calls grow for release of all political prisoners

Irrawaddy - October 14, 2011

Saw Yan Naing – The international community has welcomed news that some 220 political prisoners were freed this week as part of an amnesty announced by Burma's President Thein Sein on Monday, but the move has done little to satisfy demands for the release of all of the country's estimated 2,000 political detainees.

On Thursday, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said through a spokesperson that he welcomed the decision to include some political prisoners among the 6,359 who were pardoned, but urged the government to free the remaining political detainees in the near future.

"Ban welcomes the release, thus far, of a number of prominent figures. He hopes the government will ensure that this process results in the early release of all political prisoners," said Martin Nesirky, a spokesman for the UN chief.

Also on Thursday, US State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland told reporters: "We see it as an important step that responds to the aspirations of the Burmese people. We have not yet seen a complete list. We do believe that there is still a large number of political prisoners in prison, and we call for all of them to be released."

Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird also renewed calls for the release of all remaining political prisoners. "We note that a significant number of political prisoners remain in detention, and we continue to call for their prompt and unconditional release," he said in a statement released yesterday.

Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs Villy Sxvndal said he was pleased about the release of some political prisoners, but added that the move was long overdue and should be followed by further action. He said that Denmark would "discuss with other EU and Nordic countries and with other international partners how best to support further positive developments" in Burma.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton also welcomed the amnesty, but underlined that the unconditional release of all political prisoners remained the EU's priority.

Speaking with The Irrawaddy on Friday, Agung Putri, the executive director of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus, a Malaysia-based regional watchdog group, said that the release of some political prisoners was a step toward democratic reform, but added that by keeping many others behind bars, the government was demonstrating that it was not yet ready to embrace democracy.

"They can't continue to hold onto political prisoners if they want to be seen as a democratic government. They have to move faster," said Putri.

Inside Burma, observers noted that many of the country's most prominent political leaders are among those still in prison. Aye Thar Aung, a Rangoon-based politician, said that this week's release was welcome news, but added that leaders such as Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi and Shan politician Hkun Htun Oo should also have been freed.

Some observers suggested that the decision not to release all political prisoners was due to a power struggle between Burmese hardliners, including ex-military officials, and more moderate civilian ministers. Despite the delay, however, it was widely expected that two more batches of political prisoners would be released in the near future.

Meanwhile, in an email to The Wall Street Journal, a senior government official asked critics to be patient and not jump to conclusions, saying that more changes would follow.

"We understand some people may not be satisfied with recent reforms and asked for more. But we are just starting the democratization process," Ye Htut, the director general of the Information and Public Relations Department, which operates under Burma's Ministry of Information, wrote in response to questions from reporter Celine Fernandez.

"The pace for the process not only depends on the government but also on the cooperation from the other stakeholders and the international community. So they should appreciate, encourage and support all government actions which move to the right direction," he added.

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