SAC releases six renowned persons in politics within few days
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NP News - Oct 29
Six public figures including the former minister of the Planning and Finance, UEC ex-chair and ex-member, and three celebrities were released by the State Administration Council within two or three days consecutively.
In fact, the ex-chairman of the Union Election Commission Hla Thein, and the ex-member Myint Naing of the NLD administration were released from Yamethin Prison in Mandalay Region on 26 October.
They were charged with three years imprisonment each under Section 130 (a) of the Penal Code for alleged voting fraud in July 2022.
The day after the two former UEC chair and member were released, the SAC released again the NLD’s former minister of Planning and Finance Soe Win.
“The former minister for Planning and Finance U Soe Win was released after the UEC ex-chair U Hla Thein and ex-member U Myint Naing had been released. There were other prisoners the government released these days. We take that the SAC is liberalizing step by step by releasing those who deserve to be released. We appreciate such acts of releasing those renowned persons. The SAC is expected to release the remaining others,” one of the NLD core leaders who still resides in Myanmar told NP News.
The former minister for Planning and Finance Soe Win was charged with three years imprisonment on September 29, 2022 under Myanmar Official Secrets Act. He was granted bail on the medical ground.
Again, some celebrities including vocalist Po Po, social influencer Win Min Than, and film director Mike Tee were released by the State Administration Council on 28 October from the Insein Prison.
The abovementioned three celebrities were detained in 2021 and charged with three years imprisonment each under Section 505 (a) of the Penal Code.
“Their cases (the aforementioned recently released prisoners) might be charged long-term sentences. However, the authorities released them without giving long-term imprisonments. This means the SAC is fulfilling the terms included in the five-point consensuses of the ASEAN to release the political prisoners. It means the SAC is formulating step by step that it has to do,” the NLD core leader continued.
There are expectations that more political prisoners will be potentially released in the upcoming moment. Also, the former State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and the Defense Services are projected to engage in a talk and make a constructive compromise after the completion of all jurisdiction processes by end of 2022.