Myanmar junta 're-arrests over 100 released in amnesty'

Military had said earlier it would free more than 5,000 people over a three-day Buddhist festival

BANGKOK • Myanmar's junta has re-arrested more than 100 anti-coup protesters freed in a recent amnesty, according to a local monitoring group that tracks detentions and killings in the country.

The South-east Asian nation has been in chaos since the February coup, with more than 1,100 killed in a crackdown on dissent and more than 8,000 arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

On Monday, the military announced it would free more than 5,000 people over the three-day Buddhist Thadingyut festival, sending anxious families rushing to jails in the hope of being reunited with their loved ones.

The true number of those released across the country is difficult to verify, and many were freed only after signing documents promising not to re-offend.

At least 110 of those pardoned have since been re-arrested, according to the AAPP.

"Some were... re-arrested as soon as they arrived home," it said in a statement on Thursday. "Some others were told they were on the released list, taken to the jail entrance, only to be taken back to prison in the face of additional charges."

The Myanmar authorities released more than 2,000 anti-coup protesters from prisons across the country in June, including journalists critical of the military government.

Those still in custody include the American journalist Danny Fenster, who has been held since being arrested on May 24.

The most recent amnesty comes with the military under increasing pressure to engage with its opponents, nearly nine months after seizing power.

Last week, Asean decided to exclude junta leader Min Aung Hlaing from an upcoming summit of the 10-country bloc over doubts about his commitment to defusing the bloody crisis.

The United States welcomed the rare move by Asean, long criticised as toothless, Mr Derek Chollet, counsellor of the State Department, told reporters on Thursday.

He was speaking during a tour to the region to consult with US allies on further ways to put pressure on the junta.

The coup snuffed out the country's short-lived experiment with democracy, with civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi now facing a raft of charges in a junta court that could see her jailed for decades.

Meanwhile, the United Nations special envoy on Myanmar, Ms Christine Schraner Burgener, said on Thursday that the country has spiralled into civil war following the military coup, and warned that the chance to return to democracy is disappearing. She signalled that further targeted sanctions could be helpful.

Ms Burgener, who is stepping down after more than 31/2 years in the role, told the UN General Assembly in June that there was a real risk of large-scale civil war after the military seized power on Feb 1, detaining Ms Suu Kyi and other elected government leaders.

When asked on Thursday if there was now a civil war, she said: "In the international law terminology, we use internal armed conflict and I would use this terminology now."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 23, 2021, with the headline Myanmar junta 're-arrests over 100 released in amnesty'. Subscribe