Burmese junta 'to release 5,000 more prisoners'

Burma’s ruling junta today announced that more than 5,000 prisoners have had their sentences suspended and will be freed from various prisons around the country.

It is the third such release in less than a month.

A brief announcement on the evening news programmes of state radio and television said a third batch of 5,070 prisoners whose detentions were ruled irrelevant or improper have had their sentences reduced and will be freed.

No other details were provided and it was unknown whether any of those to be released are political prisoners. Only a few dozen political prisoners were included in the two earlier releases.

There was no indication that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be freed from house arrest at her Rangoon home.

She has been detained since a deadly clash in May last year between her followers and government supporters.

Her National League for Democracy party said last month that her house arrest had been extended until at least next September, although there was no public announcement of the action.

Today’s announcement said a total of 14,318 prisoners have had their sentences lifted. There was no independent way to confirm the total.