The Facts
On Wednesday, local news agency Myanmar Now reported that the country's ruling military council announced that 2,153 people jailed for "incitement" would be released on "humanitarian grounds" to mark Wesak, a major Buddhist holiday.
The news cites Lt. Gen Aung Lin Dwe, secretary of the military council, who said that “the act was intended to bring peace of mind and was carried out in consideration of humanitarian grounds.”
The Spin
Narrative A
Prisoners being released on humanitarian grounds is a positive step toward improving relations with other countries, especially those of freed foreign prisoners. This should be particularly celebrated given that Myanmar also released over 3K prisoners last month to mark the Lunar New Year.
Narrative B
While this is indeed great news for those freed and their families, the international community must not be deceived by this amnesty as thousands of political prisoners remain in jail. The junta is an authoritarian regime that has been arresting its opposition and killing civilians to remain in power; it's time to take stronger action.
