Myanmar junta announces mass amnesty, moves Suu Kyi to unknown location

The Myanmar military pardoned more than 3,300 prisoners on Wednesday to mark Thingyan, the country’s traditional Buddhist New Year. The junta announced in a statement that 3,303 prisoners across the country would be pardoned on the condition that they do not repeat the same crime. Some observers suggest that the regime chose to release this exact number of prisoners because it ascribes special significance to the number nine—the sum of its digits. At the time of reporting, it was not known if any of the prisoners had yet been released. It was also unclear how many political prisoners would be among the inmates set to be released. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a local monitoring group, more than 20,000 political prisoners have been held in prisons across Myanmar since the February 2021 military coup. Military spokesperson Zaw Min Tun also told some media outlets that military authorities had relocated a number of imprisoned civilian leaders, including ousted State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, who have been detained since the coup. According to Zaw Min Tun, the reason for the move was the recent extreme heat in Myanmar, which has affected the health of some inmates. “It’s not just former President Win Myint and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi—it’s all those with health conditions and elderly prisoners [who need] relief from the heat,” he said. The junta spokesperson did not specify if the leaders have been moved to different locations within prison facilities or if they have been placed under house arrest. Last week, political prisoner Win Htein, 83, a close colleague of Aung San Suu Kyi, was hospitalised after reportedly suffering from heat exhaustion. He was moved from Mandalay’s Obo Prison to Mandalay General Hospital. According to a family member, Win Htein is expected to be among the prisoners who will be pardoned today. Thingyan and other major holidays in Myanmar are traditionally marked by the release of prisoners who are close to completing their sentences.

Myanmar junta announces mass amnesty, moves Suu Kyi to unknown location

The regime cited extreme heat for its decision to move the ousted state counsellor and other detained civilian leaders

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