Families of detained Burmese protesters had their hopes dashed yesterday, after political prisoners were not included in the 1,619 people released by the junta to mark the Buddhist New Year.
The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government was ousted last year in a military coup, which sparked huge protests and a deadly crackdown.
State television announced that the prisoners, including 42 foreigners, had been “pardoned” and would be released to mark the new year — an annual tradition that last year saw 23,000 prisoners freed.
A prisoner released from Yangon’s Insein prison said that “political