The international community has welcomed news that some 220 political prisoners were freed this week as part of an amnesty, but the move has done little to satisfy demands for the release of all of the country's estimated 2,000 political detainees.
On Thursday, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said through a spokesperson that he welcomed the decision, but urged the government to free the remaining political detainees in the near future. US State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland told reporters: “We see it as an important step that responds to the aspirations of the Burmese people. We have not yet seen a complete list. We do believe that there is still a large number of political prisoners in prison, and we call for all of them to be released.” The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton also welcomed the amnesty, but underlined that the unconditional release of all political prisoners remained the EU's priority.
Despite the delay, however, it was widely expected that two more batches of political prisoners would be released in the near future. Meanwhile, in an email to The Wall Street Journal, a senior government official asked critics to be patient and not jump to conclusions, saying that more changes would follow. Ye Htut, the director general of the Information and Public Relations Department, wrote in “The pace for the process not only depends on the government but also on the cooperation from the other stakeholders and the international community. So they should appreciate, encourage and support all government actions which move to the right direction,”
Around 100 political detainees, including some of Burma's best-known activists, were among the first group of prisoners released today as part of an amnesty announced on Tuesday, but rights groups said the number fell far short of expectations. Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP), which estimates that there are around 2,000 political prisoners in Burma, said it welcomed the release of some political prisoners, but expressed disappointment that so few were included among the 6,359 prisoners slated to be released.