Myanmar Junta Frees 600 People Held for Anti-Coup Protests

KOMPAS.com - Hundreds of people imprisoned for demonstrating against last month's coup in Myanmar were released Wednesday, March 24, a rare conciliatory gesture by the military that appeared aimed at placating the protest movement.

Witnesses outside Insein Prison in Yangon saw busloads of mostly young people, looking happy with some flashing the three-finger gesture of defiance adopted by protesters. State-run TV said 628 people were freed.

Also Wednesday, Thein Zaw, a journalist for The Associated Press who was arrested last month while covering an anti-coup protest, was released.

Also read: Myanmar Families Hold Funerals for Victims Killed in Protests against Military Junta

Myanmar's security forces have cracked down violently on protests over a February 1 coup that reversed a decade of progress toward democracy in the Southeast Asian country and ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

The independent Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says that at least 275 people have been killed in connection with the crackdown. Thousands have also been arrested, and more than 2,000 remain in custody or have charges against them outstanding.

Unusual move

Wednesday's release was an unusual overture by the military, which has so far seemed impervious to both internal pressures from protests and outside pressure from sanctions. In the face of an increasingly brutal crackdown, demonstrators tried a new tactic Wednesday that they dubbed a silence strike, calling on people to stay home and businesses to close for the day.

The prisoners released appeared to be the hundreds of students detained in early March. One lawyer, speaking on condition of anonymity because she feared drawing attention from the authorities, said all those released were arrested on March 3. She said only 55 people detained in connection with the protests remained in the prison, and it was likely they would all face charges under a law that carries a penalty of up to three years in prison.

Also read: Indonesia Urged to Refrain From Strong Statements on Myanmar Coup