Several high-profile dissidents have been set free in Burma in the latest in a series
of prisoner amnesties. These latest releases come in the wake of a major peace milestone
in the form of a ceasefire agreement with Burma’s ethnic Karen rebels, who have been
fighting an insurgency since the time of British occupation. Burmese State Television
reports that 651 prisoners would be freed under a new presidential pardon, but do
not say how many are political prisoners. Among those released are Min Ko Naing, who
was one of the leaders of a failed pro-democracy uprising in 1988. Former Prime Minister
Khin Nyunt, who was detained in a purge in 2004, has also been freed from house arrest.
The recently elected government – and the military that backs it – have taken several
steps to convince the international community they are serious about implementing
real political reforms. Western nations have welcomed the reform process but called
on the government to release political prisoners and resolve ethnic conflicts in border
regions before sanctions can be eased. Listen