Former British Ambassador, Australian Economist, And Japanese Journalist To Be Released In Myanmar
A former British ambassador, an Australian economist, and a Japanese journalist to be released in Myanmar as part of the prisoner amnesty by the ruling military junta, along with more than 6,000 other prisoners.
Author:Suleman ShahReviewer:Han JuNov 17, 20225 Shares583 Views
A former British ambassador, an Australian economist, and a Japanese journalist to be released in Myanmaras part of the prisoner amnesty by the ruling military junta, along with more than 6,000 other prisoners.
State media said Thursday that Vicky Bowman, Sean Turnell, and Toru Kubota are among the 5,774 male and 676 female prisoners who will be set free to celebrate Myanmar's national day.
According to the news, the pardons were given for "humanitarian grounds" after the junta was criticized at a recent meeting of Southeast Asian leaders.
Myanmar's government has been in a lot of trouble since the military staged a coup in February 2021 and arrested civilian leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi. Aung San Suu Kyi is still in prison on a number of politically motivated charges.
Since then, the junta has arrested thousands of Thais and a few foreigners for protesting against military rule.
Bowman was the UK's top diplomat in Myanmar from 2002 to 2006. In August, she and her Burmese husband were arrested and charged with immigration crimes. They were both sent to Yangon's notorious Insein Prison. Reuters said that the amnesty would also free her husband, the artist Htein Lin.
Turnell, an Australian who worked in Suu Kyi's cabinet as an economic adviser, was arrested soon after the coup and sentenced to three years in prison in September for breaking the country's Official State Secrets Act. The Australian government did not agree with the decision, which was made against the Official State Secrets Act.
Kubota, a Japanese documentary filmmaker, was given a 10-year prison sentence in October. He was accused of breaking immigration laws when he came to the country on a tourist visa to film protests.
On Thursday, the Japanese Embassy in Myanmar said that authorities had told them that Kubota would be freed later that day.
This is not the first time Myanmar's military has let political prisoners go. In October 2021, more than 5,600 people who had been arrested for protesting against military rule were set free.
Southeast Asian leaders met in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, for the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. The Myanmar conflict was one of the things they talked about there.
Conclusion
The junta has faced increasing criticism within the region after failing to implement a peace plan negotiated in April of last year.
Even though global rights groups don't like it, Myanmar stays in the ASEAN group. But junta officials have been barred from sending political-level representatives to key events.
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Suleman Shah
Author
Suleman Shah is a researcher and freelance writer. As a researcher, he has worked with MNS University of Agriculture, Multan (Pakistan) and Texas A & M University (USA). He regularly writes science articles and blogs for science news website immersse.com and open access publishers OA Publishing London and Scientific Times. He loves to keep himself updated on scientific developments and convert these developments into everyday language to update the readers about the developments in the scientific era. His primary research focus is Plant sciences, and he contributed to this field by publishing his research in scientific journals and presenting his work at many Conferences.
Shah graduated from the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (Pakistan) and started his professional carrier with Jaffer Agro Services and later with the Agriculture Department of the Government of Pakistan. His research interest compelled and attracted him to proceed with his carrier in Plant sciences research. So, he started his Ph.D. in Soil Science at MNS University of Agriculture Multan (Pakistan). Later, he started working as a visiting scholar with Texas A&M University (USA).
Shah’s experience with big Open Excess publishers like Springers, Frontiers, MDPI, etc., testified to his belief in Open Access as a barrier-removing mechanism between researchers and the readers of their research. Shah believes that Open Access is revolutionizing the publication process and benefitting research in all fields.
Han Ju
Reviewer
Hello! I'm Han Ju, the heart behind World Wide Journals. My life is a unique tapestry woven from the threads of news, spirituality, and science, enriched by melodies from my guitar. Raised amidst tales of the ancient and the arcane, I developed a keen eye for the stories that truly matter. Through my work, I seek to bridge the seen with the unseen, marrying the rigor of science with the depth of spirituality.
Each article at World Wide Journals is a piece of this ongoing quest, blending analysis with personal reflection. Whether exploring quantum frontiers or strumming chords under the stars, my aim is to inspire and provoke thought, inviting you into a world where every discovery is a note in the grand symphony of existence.
Welcome aboard this journey of insight and exploration, where curiosity leads and music guides.
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