Burma’s ruling military authorities yesterday decided to release some 6,000 prisoners, including former British ambassador, Japanese journalist and Australian adviser to ousted civilian government Aung San Suu Kyi.
A senior Burmese official told Agence France-Presse that former British ambassador Vicki Bowman, Australian economic adviser Sean Thornell and Japanese journalist Toru Kubota “will be released on the occasion of the country’s national holiday.”
Bowman, who served as ambassador from 2002 to 2006 with her husband, was arrested in August for failing to indicate she lived at a different address than the one on her alien registration certificate and sentenced to one year in prison. . The official added that her husband, renowned artist Htin Ling, will also be released.
Australian Sean Turnell was working as an adviser to Burmese civilian leader Suu Kyi when he was arrested shortly after a military coup last February. As for the 26-year-old Japanese Kubot, he was arrested in July near an anti-government rally in Yangon with two Burmese citizens and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
