UN 'encouraged' by release of political prisoners

UN 'encouraged' by release of political prisoners in Burma

21 Nov 2004 (AFP) - The United Nations on Friday said it was "encouraged" by the release of nearly 4,000 inmates in military-ruled Burma, including opposition leaders, and encouraged the junta to free all remaining political prisoners.

"The Secretary General (Kofi Annan) welcomes the announcement on Thursday by the Myanmar government that it has begun releasing a total of 3,937 prisoners, and is encouraged by reports that a number of people detained for political activities are included among them," the UN said in a statement.

The mass release saw hundreds of people set free from Yangon's notorious Insein prison Friday, including several prominent members of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party headed by Aung San Suu Kyi.

Annan saw the mass release as "an important step towards creating an environment conducive to genuine national reconciliation in Myanmar," the statement said.

"He hopes that this step will be followed by the release of the remainder of those detained for articulating their political beliefs, including all those who are still under house arrest."

Annan's statement on the junta gesture came as Britain Friday welcomed the releases but stressed they were only a small step forward for the country.

The United States pronounced itself unimpressed by the mass release and demanded immediate freedom for all political detainees, including Aung San Suu Kyi, who has languished under house arrest since last year.

Myamnmar's ruling junta on Thursday ordered the mass release of prisoners whom it said may have been wrongfully jailed by a military intelligence unit disbanded in the wake of a top-level power struggle in the country.

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