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Burma's amnesty announcement draws skepticism
Irrawaddy - July 14, 2009
Wai Moe – Burmese dissidents are treating with caution an announcement by Burma's United Nations ambassador that preparations are being made to release an unknown number of prisoners before the 2010 election.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters in New York on Monday that the Burmese permanent representative at the UN, Than Swe, had announced that "at the request of the secretary-general in Myanmar [Burma], the Myanmar government is processing to grant amnesty to prisoners on humanitarian grounds and with a view to enabling them to participate in the 2010 general elections."
A bird's eye view of Insein prison. (Photo: Nic Dunlop) Ban told reporters: "This is encouraging, but I have to continue to follow up how they will implement all the issues raised during my visit."
At the headquarters of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) in Rangoon, spokesman Nyan Win pointed out that Than Swe's announcement made no reference to political prisoners.
"We should carefully read the text of the ambassador. He did not say the junta will release political prisoners," Nyan Win said. "He just said the junta would grant amnesty to prisoners on humanitarian grounds. So I do not think the comment was different from previous ones."
According to human rights groups, the junta keeps more than 2,100 political prisoners behind bars. The number of political prisoners has doubled since crackdowns on monk-led demonstrators in late 2007.
Burma's most famous political prisoner, Aung San Suu Kyi, is currently on trial in Rangoon, charged with violating the terms of her house arrest order. There have been suggestions that the regime intends to keep her in detention or even in jail at least until the 2010 general election has been held.
Bo Kyi, joint-secretary of the Thailand-based Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (AAPP), a Burmese human rights group focusing on political prisoner issues, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the Burmese ambassador's statement was "the old song" and "a kind of trick" to confuse the international community.
"If the junta has the political will to release prisoners, they should withdraw the charge against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and release her and all political prisoners," said Bo Kyi, a former political prisoner.
"The junta often declares an amnesty, but then only a few political prisoners are among those freed. We should be aware that the junta has never kept its word," he said.
"Political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, are political pawns in the junta's international playground." The regime released 6,313 prisoners in February, saying the amnesty was for humanitarian reasons and to enable those freed "to participate in fair elections to be held in 2010." However, there were only 31 political prisoners among them.
In the previous amnesty, in September 2008, the regime freed 9,002 prisoners, saying it wanted to "turn them into citizens to be able to participate in building a new nation". But only nine political prisoners, including Win Tin, a prominent NLD leader, were included in the amnesty.
In an amnesty in November 2007 to mark the conclusion of the National Convention, the junta released 8,585 prisoners. Twenty political prisoners were among them.
After the downfall of former Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt and the dismantling of his Military Intelligence in 2004, the junta granted an amnesty for more than 14,000 prisoners. They included 60 political prisoners, including prominent dissident Min Ko Naingwho is now back in jail.
All political prisoners, who were released in amnesties, were near the end of the prison terms.
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