No Arakan State political prisoners released in junta’s National Day amnesty

By DMG 18 Nov 2022

DMG Newsroom
18 November 2022, Sittwe

None of the political prisoners behind bars in Arakan State were released in the military regime’s granting of a mass amnesty to mark Myanmar’s National Day on Thursday.

Previous pardons by the regime since its February 2021 coup saw political prisoners and others who were detained and charged on suspicion of having ties to the Arakan Army (AA) being released from prisons in Arakan. No one fitting that description was released this time, however, when the regime granted pardons to some 6,000 prisoners from prisons across the country.

A total of 194 prisoners — 71 from Sittwe Prison, 31 from Kyaukphyu Prison, 76 from Thandwe Prison, and 16 from Buthidaung Prison — were released on Thursday, according to prison authorities.

“None of those released [in Arakan State] were political prisoners,” said a former political prisoner. “Those released were convicted of possessing and abusing drugs, mugging and theft. And others were charged with offences for being unable to satisfactorily explain why they were out on the streets at night.”

The Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (A) engaged in often-intense fighting from late 2018 to November 2020, when the two sides reached an unofficial ceasefire. Following the coup, the military removed the AA from its official list of terrorist organisations, and granted pardons for some of those charged over their alleged ties to the AA.

The regime did not release any political prisoners on Thursday because of renewed and ongoing fighting with the AA, suggested Arakanese politicians.

“The two sides are fighting fiercely, and there are no talks between them. Under such circumstances, the regime may not release [Arakanese] civilians who can be used as hostages,” said veteran Arakanese politician U Pe Than.

A total of 5,774 prisoners were released from prisons across the country on Thursday, according to the regime. Only a few hundred of those released were political prisoners, and many high-profile political prisoners remain behind bars.

Australian economist Sean Turnell, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s economic advisor; Ko Mya Aye, a leader of the 88 Generation Students group; the outspoken Buddhist monk Shwe Nya Wah Sayadaw; writer Maung Tha Cho, who was known for his pre-coup satirical pieces criticising the Myanmar military; and central executive committee members for the National League for Democracy (NLD) U Myo Nyunt and U Kyaw Hoe were among those freed.