Indian nationals who have completed serving prison their sentences prison in Kale Prison in Kale (Kalay) Township, Sagaing Region remain imprisoned because they cannot afford to pay bribes to be released.
A source close to Kale Prison said: “These Indian prisoners are pitiful. They have no visitors, and some completed their sentences as far back as 2021, yet they remain behind bars. When they request to be sent back home, the prison director typically claims that the Ministry of Immigration will decide the matter. Their requests have been repeatedly denied. However, at least five Indian prisoners who could afford to bribe the authorities have been released after completing their sentences, paying bribes ranging from 2 million to 3 million MMK. While the prison authorities claim that the Ministry of Immigration decides on the release of Indian prisoners, those who paid bribes were allowed to return home at their own expense, while those who couldn’t afford the bribes remain incarcerated even after serving their time.”
All foreign prisoners in Kale Prison, both male and female, are referred to as 'Lawaka prisoners,' this denotes that they are being held under the authority of the Ministry of Immigration, unlike prisoners who are Myanmar nationals, who come under the authority of Prison Department which is under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
There are currently 18 foreign Lawaka prisoners, one of whom is a woman, being held in Kale Prison. Of those 18 prisoners, 10 have already completed their sentences.
Some of the Lawaka prisoners still being held in Kale Prison despite completing their sentences are suffering from malnutrition and health issues and at least one of them has already died.
The aforementioned source said: “Lawaka prisoners have appealed to the prison director about the lack of nutritious food, but their concerns have been ignored. In 2023, one Lawaka prisoner died from malnutrition. He was only allowed to return to his home village as a corpse after he had died and even that return was not arranged by the prison authorities. The deceased was a Christian, so a church arranged it [returning the corpse to its home village]. Currently, another Lawaka prisoner is receiving treatment in a hospital for malnutrition. The situation for Lawaka prisoners is becoming increasingly dire.”
There are approximately 1,400 inmates in Kale Prison, with an estimated 450 of them being political prisoners, according to the Junta’s Prison Department.
