Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

Chinese loggers among thousands freed from Myanmar jails

-

Myanmar announced the release of thousands of prisoners including scores of Chinese loggers on Thursday in a mass amnesty aimed at promoting "goodwill", officials said, after a series of spats between Yangon and Beijing.

Authorities acting on the instructions of President Thein Sein ordered some 6,966 detainees -- 210 of them foreigners -- to be freed across the country after they had been "well disciplined", according to a statement on the Ministry of Information website.

The move hoped to promote "goodwill and is aimed at keeping a friendly relationship between countries", it said.

The release included all of the 155 Chinese nationals handed long jail sentences for illegal logging in northern Myanmar near their shared border earlier this month, according to a home affairs ministry official who asked to remain anonymous because he was unauthorised to speak to the press.

"More than 150 Chinese will be released in the amnesty," he said without giving further details.

A second official from the corrections department also confirmed that Chinese nationals would be released.

The decision to jail the loggers sparked outraged editorials in Chinese state media, as well as a plea by Beijing to be "reasonable".

It was not immediately clear if political prisoners were among those freed in the release, the latest in a series of amnesties under the reformist government that have seen sentences quashed for hundreds of dissidents.

- Myanmar-China ties -

Thein Sein's regime, which took power in 2011, has been rewarded for a string of reforms -- including prisoner amnesties and welcoming Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party into parliament -- with most Western sanctions removed.

A dog stands on top of a pile of logs at a holding area along the Yangon river in Myanmar on July 23...
A dog stands on top of a pile of logs at a holding area along the Yangon river in Myanmar on July 23, 2015 after long jail sentences were handed down to more than 150 Chinese nationals for illegal logging
Ye Aung Thu, AFP/File

But his government has faced growing claims of backtracking as scores of activists and protesters have been arrested in recent months amid signs that media freedoms are being tightened after the official lifting of censorship.

The Myanmar leader has also been accused of timing amnesties for political benefit, while local people fret that thousands of criminals are released alongside dissidents.

The Chinese loggers were arrested in January during a crackdown on illegal forestry activities in northern Kachin state, where a bloody civil war has raged since 2011 and both military and rebel forces are accused of profiting from the exploitation of the area's rich natural resources by companies from China.

A court official in Kachin earlier this month said 153 loggers were handed life sentences -- usually equivalent to 20 years -- while two males aged under 18 were jailed for 10 years.

An editorial in China's Global Times at the time slammed the "severity" of the sentences, expressing hope that intervention from Beijing could "reverse" the outcome.

Beijing was Myanmar's closest ally during the later years of military rule, providing a shield from international opprobrium and a lifeline as a trading partner for the junta.

The relationship saw many of Myanmar's raw materials sucked across its northern border into China, spurring popular anger in the former junta-ruled country which is set to hold a general election in November.

But observers say the scale of interests China accrued during that period -- including dams and mines and a gas pipeline aimed at developing its southern Yunnan province -- caused friction and prodded Myanmar towards reforms called for by the international community.

Myanmar announced the release of thousands of prisoners including scores of Chinese loggers on Thursday in a mass amnesty aimed at promoting “goodwill”, officials said, after a series of spats between Yangon and Beijing.

Authorities acting on the instructions of President Thein Sein ordered some 6,966 detainees — 210 of them foreigners — to be freed across the country after they had been “well disciplined”, according to a statement on the Ministry of Information website.

The move hoped to promote “goodwill and is aimed at keeping a friendly relationship between countries”, it said.

The release included all of the 155 Chinese nationals handed long jail sentences for illegal logging in northern Myanmar near their shared border earlier this month, according to a home affairs ministry official who asked to remain anonymous because he was unauthorised to speak to the press.

“More than 150 Chinese will be released in the amnesty,” he said without giving further details.

A second official from the corrections department also confirmed that Chinese nationals would be released.

The decision to jail the loggers sparked outraged editorials in Chinese state media, as well as a plea by Beijing to be “reasonable”.

It was not immediately clear if political prisoners were among those freed in the release, the latest in a series of amnesties under the reformist government that have seen sentences quashed for hundreds of dissidents.

– Myanmar-China ties –

Thein Sein’s regime, which took power in 2011, has been rewarded for a string of reforms — including prisoner amnesties and welcoming Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party into parliament — with most Western sanctions removed.

A dog stands on top of a pile of logs at a holding area along the Yangon river in Myanmar on July 23...

A dog stands on top of a pile of logs at a holding area along the Yangon river in Myanmar on July 23, 2015 after long jail sentences were handed down to more than 150 Chinese nationals for illegal logging
Ye Aung Thu, AFP/File

But his government has faced growing claims of backtracking as scores of activists and protesters have been arrested in recent months amid signs that media freedoms are being tightened after the official lifting of censorship.

The Myanmar leader has also been accused of timing amnesties for political benefit, while local people fret that thousands of criminals are released alongside dissidents.

The Chinese loggers were arrested in January during a crackdown on illegal forestry activities in northern Kachin state, where a bloody civil war has raged since 2011 and both military and rebel forces are accused of profiting from the exploitation of the area’s rich natural resources by companies from China.

A court official in Kachin earlier this month said 153 loggers were handed life sentences — usually equivalent to 20 years — while two males aged under 18 were jailed for 10 years.

An editorial in China’s Global Times at the time slammed the “severity” of the sentences, expressing hope that intervention from Beijing could “reverse” the outcome.

Beijing was Myanmar’s closest ally during the later years of military rule, providing a shield from international opprobrium and a lifeline as a trading partner for the junta.

The relationship saw many of Myanmar’s raw materials sucked across its northern border into China, spurring popular anger in the former junta-ruled country which is set to hold a general election in November.

But observers say the scale of interests China accrued during that period — including dams and mines and a gas pipeline aimed at developing its southern Yunnan province — caused friction and prodded Myanmar towards reforms called for by the international community.

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

You may also like:

Life

Their stories are divided into before and after.

Social Media

Wanna buy some ignorance? You’re in luck.

Tech & Science

Under new legislation that passed the House of Representatives last week, TikTok could be banned in the United States.

Life

Platforms like Instagram and Pinterest often suggest travel destinations based on your likes and viewing habits.