UN expert questions sincerity of Myanmar’s prisoner release

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A U.N. expert says the release of thousands of prisoners in Myanmar is likely an attempt by its military government to “create a veneer of progress” in the country to sway international opinion. Last Thursday, Myanmar freed about 5,700 prisoners including high-profile foreigners on the occasion of the National Victory Day. U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Thomas Andrews said at the end of his trip to Seoul that the international community must not applaud the military for the release or take it as evidence that it is softening. He said he received reports that some were immediately arrested again and the military rained down heavy artillery on a village in western Rakhine state, killing at least 10 people.