Yangon, Nov 14(ANI): A government-appointed human rights body has urged Myanmar President Thein Sein to release political prisoners or transfer them to prisons close to their families.
The commission's appeal is published in three state-owned newspapers, which closely reflect the government opinion.
The government has shifted some of Yangon's Insein Prison detainees to remote prisons in the country in recent years.
National Human Rights Commission Chairperson Win Mra urged Sein to grant amnesty "to those prisoners convicted for breach of existing laws, who do not pose a threat to the stability of the state and public tranquillity."
"If for reasons of maintaining peace and stability, certain prisoners cannot as yet be included in the amnesty, the commission would like to respectfully submit that consideration be made for transferring them to prisons with easy access for their family members," the Wall Street Journal quoted the commission's letter, as saying.
The appeal comes in the wake of speculation of the Myanmar Government issuing a new amnesty covering about 2,000 political prisoners this week.
The release of prisoners would enhance Myanmar's ongoing efforts to augment ties with the U.S., which had slammed human-rights violations and failure to allow free and democratic politics in the previous military regime.
Myanmar's bid for the 2014 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit has further fuelled speculations of prisoners' release, since the measure would boost its claim for hosting the meeting.
"It appears there are real changes taking place on the ground, and we support these early efforts at reform. We want to see the people of Burma able to participate fully in the political life of their own country," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.
Myanmar's nominally civilian government, which assumed power in March, has declared its intention to liberalize its previous regime's hard-line policies. (ANI)
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