Myanmar’s military is to release almost 6,000 prisoners including a former UK ambassador and an Australian adviser to the country’s ousted civilian leader, according to local reports.
Former diplomat Vicky Bowman was jailed along with her husband, Toru Kubota, for failing to register her residence when she and her husband moved from their address in Yangon to the Kalaw township.
Ms Bowman, who was the ambassador from 2002-2006, was given a one-year jail term in September for violating the country’s Immigration Act.
She is one of thousands who have been jailed following a coup by the military junta to overthrow Aung San Suu Kyi last year.
According to Myanmar’s state-run MRTV she will be among 5,774 prisoners to be released under pardons made to mark Myanmar’s National Day on Thursday, the military junta said.
Commenting on the release, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: “I welcome the release of Vicky Bowman and others from detention in Myanmar today.
“All those unjustly imprisoned in Myanmar should be released.”
Sean Turnell, an Australian adviser to Ms Suu Kyi, was also detained following the military coup to overthrow the democratically elected leader last February, and will reportedly be among those released.
Amnesty International Australia’s Tim O’Connor welcomed the decision to release Mr Turnell saying that he, like many others, should never have been arrested or jailed.
"Amnesty continues to call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained for peacefully exercising their human rights," he said.
"Thousands of people jailed since the coup in Myanmar have done nothing wrong."
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring organisation, 16,232 people have been detained on political charges in Myanmar since the army ousted the democratically elected government of Ms Suu Kyi in February last year.
Myanmar’s former leader received a further three year prison sentence in October after being found guilty of electoral fraud. She now faces 26 years in prison.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been approached for comment.
