(Photo : Photo by YE AUNG THU / AFP / Photo credit should read YE AUNG THU/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - Myanmar's Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of the Myanmar armed forces, arrives to pay his respects to Myanmar independence hero General Aung San and eight others assassinated in 1947, during a ceremony to mark the 71th anniversary of Martyrs' Day in Yangon on July 19, 2018. - Myanmar observes the 71th anniversary of Martyrs' Day, marking the assassination of independence heroes including Aung San Suu Kyi's father, who helped end British colonial rule.
Myanmar's military junta, which was responsible for the coup earlier in February to overthrow the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, announced that it would free more than 5,600 prisoners who were arrested for protesting against the regime.
Many believe the announced release of the thousands of prisoners to be a gesture aimed at easing tensions and hostilities directed towards the junta by Myanmar's neighbors. The incident comes after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) snubbed coup leader Min Aung Hlaing over the weekend when they excluded him from the Oct. 26 to Oct. 28 summit.
Release of Thousands of Prisoners
ASEAN authorities said they planned to invite an as-yet-unnamed nonpolitical representative from Myanmar to attend the summit on Hlaing's behalf. In a statement, the military junta warned the individuals they chose to free that if they committed crimes after their release, they would be forced to serve their remaining sentences in addition to any new sentence.
On Monday, Hlaing made a televised speech where he announced that Myanmar was committed to peace and democracy. The statement came as, in the last few months, the military junta has continued to arrest thousands of protesters who decried the ousting of Suu Kyi, who has remained under house arrest since February, NPR reported.
The majority of the arrested prisoners who were part of the announcement were taken into custody during a brutal crackdown earlier this year. Millions of residents took to the streets of Myanmar to decry the military junta's takeover of the country.
Soldiers and Myanmar police were believed to have killed more than 1,170 protesters, the majority of whom were shot in the head. They are also accused of detaining over 7,300 others, said the advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
However, the military junta has, in recent months, successfully suppressed street protests but struggles to reduce the number of guerrilla attacks in cities nationwide. Officials are also facing opposition from newly formed rebel units stationed in outlying areas, including Chin State, where witnesses say that military forces were increasing, the New York Times reported.
Military Junta's Rebels
During Hlaing's televised speech, he also criticized the provocations of terrorist groups as the reason why violence in Myanmar has surged. However, he said that there were very few who took the violence seriously, urging the ASEAN to take responsibility.
In a statement, Hlaing said that Myanmar wanted ASEAN's special envoy, Erywan Yusof, to travel to the country as previously agreed. Additionally, some of Hlaing's demands were non-negotiable and the official did not elaborate on the issue.
A broad alliance of anti-coup groups, called the NUG, includes members of Suu Kyi's ousted elected party. The group is responsible for the training and formation of militias, more commonly known as People's Defense Forces, that have conducted attacks on security forces in several regions nationwide.
Recently, the NUG declared a nationwide rebellion against the military junta's rule following its takeover of the country's government. On Monday, the NUG welcomed ASEAN's exclusion of Hlaing from the summit, arguing that it should be the legitimate representative, Reuters reported.
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