New Delhi (Mizzima) – The amnesty to prisoners announced by the Burmese military junta is yet another tactic to ease mounting international pressure over the trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, critics said.
Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International’s (AI) Burma Researcher on Thursday said the Burmese regime’s announcement proposing to grant amnesty to prisoners may be yet another attempt to divert international attention and blunt criticism.
“I think it is trying to deflect criticism from the ongoing trial of Aung San Suu Kyi as much as possible. I think they were surprised by the international reaction to the trial,” Zawacki said.
Zawacki’s comment came after the Burmese Government’s Ambassador to the United Nations Than Swe told the Security Council on Monday that his government is thinking of granting amnesty to prisoners to allow them to contest the election in 2010.
“At the request of the Secretary-General, the Myanmar [Burma] Government is proceeding to grant amnesty to prisoners on humanitarian grounds and with a view to enabling them to participate in the 2010 general elections,” Than Swe told the Security Council.
He also assured the Council that the 2010 general elections would be free, fair and credible.
Than Swe made the announcement in response to UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon’s briefing to the Security Council on his two-day visit to Burma, which the World Body Chief had termed as “deeply disappointing” as the ruling junta refused to allow him a meeting with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Ban, in his briefing said, unless political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi are released Burma’s 2010 general election would lack credibility.
Meanwhile, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners - Burma (AAPP-B), a Thailand based activists group, in its press release on Thursday called on Ban Ki-moon and members of the UN Security Council not to fall for yet another hollow promise by the Burmese junta.
“If they truly want to show the world that they are serious about democratic reforms, the first step is to officially recognize political prisoners, and the fact that they have been arrested on political grounds,” said Bo Kyi, Joint-Secretary of AAPP.
“But words are not enough. We need to see practical implementation of a concrete time-frame for the rapid release of all Burma's political prisoners," he added.
According to AAPP, at present there are 2,160 political prisoners in Burma's detention centres, labour camps and jails.
Zawacki said if the regime releases all 2,100 political prisoners including, Aung San Suu Kyi, that will be a positive step towards political reconciliation where the government had claimed to allow inclusive participation in the 2010 election.
“Even if political prisoners are released, they were originally imprisoned under a law which will not allow them to contest the election,” he said.
“First of all they need to be released and given permission to participate in the election as the first step,” he added.
Meanwhile, Nyo Ohn Myint, in-charge of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National League for Democracy (NLD-LA) in exile said, the junta, which has been reluctant to release political prisoners, is announcing amnesty to prisoners as a step to legitimize its seven-step roadmap to its so-called disciplined democracy.
The forthcoming election will be the fifth-step of the road map.
“It is a move to legitimize the regime’s seven-step road map as it would like to complete the road map as soon as possible,” Nyo Ohn Myint said.
Zawacki said, before giving any credit to the military regime, it is necessary to wait and see how many political prisoners will be among those released.
“More important is whether or not any of the political prisoners will be released, as you know, 2100 and more political prisoners are behind bars in Burma,” he added.
