Myanmar releases fewer prisoners than rights groups expected

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REPORTING FROM NEW DELHI — Myanmar released fewer prisoners than some expected Wednesday, undercutting hopes the regime would move quickly to shore up its battered human-rights reputation.

Somewhere between 120 and 300 detainees were set free from a total of 6,359 under a ‘humanitarian’ amnesty that coincides with a religious holiday and a trip to India by President Thein Sein.

The exact number was difficult to pin down immediately given staggered release times at various prisons across the country, also known as Burma. The junta often puts political prisoners in remote areas to deter family visits and impede communication with outsiders.

Rights groups said they were happy some families would be reunited but said the prisoners should never have been detained in the first place.

Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi said she looked for more positive steps from the government. ‘The freedom of each individual is invaluable, but I wish that all political prisoners would be released,’ she told supporters.

There had been hope this week the number released might be much higher after the government-controlled media aired a rare divergence in the party line.

While state television cited the oft-repeated argument that the country has no political detainees –- just common criminals -- the mouthpiece New Light of Myanmar newspaper published a request that ‘prisoners of conscience’ be released.

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-- Mark Magnier