Myanmar says hundreds of political prisoners free
May the people of this country have peace, happiness and health.
Tsem Rinpoche
Myanmar says hundreds of political prisoners free.
By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 1/14/2012
- Myanmar has released more than 300 people deemed by the opposition to be political prisoners, a minister said Saturday, after the West hailed the move as a substantial sign of reform.
Myanmar has released more than 300 people deemed by the opposition to be political prisoners, a minister said Saturday, after the West hailed the move as a substantial sign of reform.
Home Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Ko Ko insisted however that none of them had been jailed for political reasons, saying: “We didn’t take action against anyone because of politics or beliefs.”
The amnesty was hailed on Friday by Western powers, which have long demanded the release of political detainees before they will consider lifting sanctions, and the United States now says it wants to restore top-level diplomatic ties.
About 650 inmates were freed in total in the amnesty, including leading pro-democracy dissidents who were at the forefront of a failed 1988 uprising in which thousands died, and participants in 2007’s “Saffron Revolution” protests.
Ko Ko told reporters that 302 of those released were on a list of political prisoners compiled by a political group inside Myanmar, thought to be the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD).
He said another 128 remained on the list who could not be released for security reasons as they had committed serious crimes.
“This release was not according to the demand of any person or any organization. We released them according to the true benevolence of the government,” Ko Ko said.
About 200 political detainees were freed in October, and estimates of the number left in prison after that amnesty ranged from 500 to more than 1,500.
About another 100 of those released in Friday’s amnesty were former members of the intelligence service, Ko Ko said.
Among them was Khin Nyunt, a former prime minister and intelligence chief who was ousted in 2004 in a power struggle and placed under house arrest.
US President Barack Obama said the amnesty was a “substantial step” towards democracy in a country ruled for decades by the military, while the NLD, headed by democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, hailed it as a “positive sign”.
The nominally civilian government that came to power last year in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has surprised even sceptics with a series of reformist moves.
It froze work on an unpopular dam supported by powerful neighbour China last year, and on Thursday signed a ceasefire with a major armed ethnic Karen group involved in one of the world’s longest-running civil conflicts.
The country recently announced plans to hold by-elections on April 1 and Suu Kyi — released from years of house arrest in November 2010 — plans to stand for a seat in parliament in a constituency near the main city Yangon.
The 66-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner said earlier this week that her country was “on the verge of a breakthrough to democracy”.
Source: http://news.malaysia.msn.com/top-stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5764047
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Good and wonderful news for Myanmar people when told that hundreds of political prisoners will be free.Rejoice and happy for them after so many years been kept prison. Due to internasional pressure that the Burmese government received from all over the world many were free then.Well all these was possible beacuse of one strong,determine and amazing lady working hard to get them free and bring peace,harmany to her country.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing.May the Myanmar people live in peace,harmony and have religious freedom.
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It’s really a good news for Myanmar people, for the government that takes the first step towards a harmony and democratic country; even though the road to a democracy and open society has never been easy and smooth.
As Tagore put it, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”, it has never been easy to tolerate dissidents; but the reward is worthwhile.
H.E.Tsem Rinpoche once said to bring world peace we should develop our inner peace first, it is by changing from within.
To have a world not only without wars but with harmony and peace, across different religions, races and culture, it could only achieved by changing from within, starting from each and everyone of us.
没有什么比看到自己的国家走向进步来得更激奋人心，虽然离幸福的日子还很远，虽然民主开放从来都不容易，但，还是虽然恭喜缅甸人民，恭喜缅甸政府，跨出了那一步。
要容忍异见从来都不容易，所以要包容异己甚至是反对自己的人，更不是开口说就能实践的。泰戈尔曾说过“我虽不同意你，但我誓死扞卫你说话的权利”，要说出这句话不容易，付诸行动更是不简单；但那付出是值得的。
仁波切曾说过，要达到世界和平，就必须从个人内在的和平开始。我们都热爱和平，就让我们每个人从自己做起，祈求一个不是没有战争，但是不同种族、宗教、文化和肤色的人可以融洽相处的和平世界。
Myanmar had been in conflict / civil war since its independance in 1948 , mostly the conflicts was based on ethnic groups challenging the main Burmese people who were in power. The assassination of Aung San led to the many civil war in Myanmar. Anyways it is good to see rays of hope when political prisoners are being freed.