Myanmar junta to free 5,000 anti-coup protesters after Military's exclusion from ASEAN Summit
Oct 19, 2021
Naypyitaw [Myanmar], October 19 : The Myanmar Military on Monday announced that more than 5,000 people who were arrested for opposing the coup will be freed under a grant of amnesty.
The head of Myanmar's junta Min Aung Hlaing made the announcement during a nationwide televised speech, VOA reported.
"More violence happened due to provocations of terrorist groups," Min Aung Hlaing said in a speech, where he appeared in civilian attire, VOA reported citing news agencies.
"No one cares about their violence, and is only demanding we solve the issue. ASEAN should work on that," he added.
The grand amnesty came days after the decision by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to exclude Myanmar coup leaders from the upcoming October 26-28 summit.
Instead, ASEAN is inviting a non-political representative from the country, VOA reported.
Meanwhile, Myanmar is in turmoil since the coup on February 1, when the Myanmar military led by Senior General Ming Aung Hlaing overthrew the civilian government and declared a year-long state of emergency. The coup triggered mass protests and was met by deadly violence.
On Saturday, Myanmar's military junta had also expressed disappointment over their leader Min Aung Hlaing's exclusion from the upcoming ASEAN summit.
