114 Bangladeshi prisoners and 52 Burmese citizens were released today from Sittwe prison in Arakan state, said government officials.
They were released in an amnesty granted by the Burmese president U Thein Sein who announced the release of 517 prisoners around Burma on the 16th of September.
The Bangladeshi citizens are likely to be handed over to Bangladesh authorities through the Maungdaw border point located on the eastern side of the Naf River, opposite Teknaf, a Bangladeshi town,
According to an official source, most of the Bangladesh prisoners had been arrested for entering Burma illegally.
Among the 52 Burmese released prisoners, 48 were arrested in the recent unrest in Arakan as they had broken the provisions of section 144 imposed by authority on 11 June.
According to the AAPP, in the president’s amnesty there are nearly 90 political prisoners included amongst 517 prisoners released nationwide