22 Apr 2019
Prison authorities and police have quelled unrest at Sittwe prison in Rakhine State, apparently caused by some inmates upset that they had been left out of the president’s annual amnesty, a police official said on Sunday.
Local residents rushed to the prison late Saturday after hearing gunfire inside its compound.
U Aung Mra Kyaw, a Sittwe resident, said on Sunday that about 10 gunshots were heard from the prison at about 7pm on Saturday.
“We heard that the prisoners had become disorderly when the transfer of prisoners who had been granted amnesty was about to begin,” he said.
Some people were worried about their relatives inside the prison, as the authorities have not made any statements about the unrest, he said.
According to a Sittwe police official, who asked not to be named, officers had to help control the unrest at the prison. He said some prisoners had expressed dissatisfaction with the list of inmates granted amnesty by the president.
“Now everything is under control and the situation is back to normal,” he said.
Efforts to reach Sittwe prison for comment about the case were unsuccessful.
On Wednesday, the president announced an amnesty for over 9000 prisoners across the country, more than 100 of them at Sittwe prison.
Sixteen foreigners were among those pardoned as part of the “commemoration of the Myanmar New Year, for the peace and joy of the citizens, and taking into consideration humanitarian concerns.”
Only two political prisoners, Maran Gan at Mandalay prison and Zaw La at Myingyan prison, were included in Wednesday’s pardon, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
There are 364 political prisoners behind bars or facing trial in Myanmar, AAPP said.
“Over 130 political prisoners still remain behind bars for political activity. We call for their immediate release,” the non-profit human rights group said on Twitter. – Additional reporting by Thompson Chau and Kyaw Soe Htet
Local residents rushed to the prison late Saturday after hearing gunfire inside its compound.
U Aung Mra Kyaw, a Sittwe resident, said on Sunday that about 10 gunshots were heard from the prison at about 7pm on Saturday.
“We heard that the prisoners had become disorderly when the transfer of prisoners who had been granted amnesty was about to begin,” he said.
Some people were worried about their relatives inside the prison, as the authorities have not made any statements about the unrest, he said.
According to a Sittwe police official, who asked not to be named, officers had to help control the unrest at the prison. He said some prisoners had expressed dissatisfaction with the list of inmates granted amnesty by the president.
“Now everything is under control and the situation is back to normal,” he said.
Efforts to reach Sittwe prison for comment about the case were unsuccessful.
On Wednesday, the president announced an amnesty for over 9000 prisoners across the country, more than 100 of them at Sittwe prison.
Sixteen foreigners were among those pardoned as part of the “commemoration of the Myanmar New Year, for the peace and joy of the citizens, and taking into consideration humanitarian concerns.”
Only two political prisoners, Maran Gan at Mandalay prison and Zaw La at Myingyan prison, were included in Wednesday’s pardon, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
There are 364 political prisoners behind bars or facing trial in Myanmar, AAPP said.
“Over 130 political prisoners still remain behind bars for political activity. We call for their immediate release,” the non-profit human rights group said on Twitter. – Additional reporting by Thompson Chau and Kyaw Soe Htet
No comments:
Post a Comment