Myanmar’s military government pardons 10,000 prisoners to mark Independence Day

The commander of an honour guard shouts during a ceremony marking Myanmar’s 76th anniversary of Independence Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar (Aung Shine Oo/AP)

Myanmar’s military government has pardoned nearly 10,000 prisoners to mark the 76th anniversary of gaining independence from Britain – but it was not immediately clear if any of those released include the thousands of political detainees jailed for opposing army rule.

The head of Myanmar ’s military council, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, pardoned 9,652 prisoners to mark the holiday, state-run MRTV television reported.