The military also pardoned 3,000 prisoners of war to commemorate this year's traditional New Year's holiday.
Myanmar's imprisoned former leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been transferred from prison to house arrest as a health precaution amid a severe heat wave, the military has announced.
Maj. Gen. Zaw Myint Tun told foreign media on Tuesday that elderly and infirm prisoners transferred from the prison included Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint of her collapsed government. he said.
He said: “The weather is very hot, so it's not just Aung San Suu Kyi, but everyone who needs the necessary precautions, especially older prisoners. We need to protect them from heatstroke. “We are working to protect it,” he said.
Aung San Suu Kyi, 78, has been imprisoned by Myanmar's military since the country's government was overthrown in a coup in 2021.
She is serving a 27-year prison sentence in Naypyidaw for various convictions, but her supporters and human rights groups say the convictions were fabricated for political reasons. There is. Win Myint was serving an eight-year prison sentence in Taungoo, Bago region, Myanmar.
The temperature in Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday was 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the Myanmar Meteorological Department.
Zaw Min Tun did not say where the released prisoners would be transferred. Aung San Suu Kyi was reportedly held in a secure location on a military base before being sent to prison.
In February, Aung San Suu Kyi's son Kim Aris said that Aung San Suu Kyi was in solitary confinement and was doing well, although “her health is not as good as before.” .
Alice previously said reports that her mother was placed under house arrest in July last year were untrue. At the time, he called the report “disinformation” spread by the military to appease the international community.
Many governments around the world have called for the unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and thousands of other political prisoners, and some countries, including the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, have called for the Southeast Asian country's military to sanctions are being imposed against them.
Three years after the coup, an armed resistance movement aligned with the National Unity Government (NUG), established by politicians allied with Aung San Suu Kyi, is gaining momentum in various areas, and Myanmar is The military faces the greatest challenge to its rule.
An NUG spokesperson on Tuesday called for the unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint.
“Transferring from prison to housing is a good thing, because housing is better than prison,” Spokesman Kyaw Zaw told Reuters late on Tuesday.
“However, they must be released unconditionally. They must take full responsibility for the health and safety of Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint.”
News of Aung San Suu Kyi's transfer comes as the military granted amnesty to more than 3,000 prisoners of war to mark this week's traditional Thingyan New Year holiday.
It was not immediately clear whether those released included pro-democracy activists and political prisoners arrested for protesting military rule.
State-run MRTV reported that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, chairman of the ruling party's military council, had pardoned 3,303 prisoners of war, including 28 foreigners being deported from Myanmar. He also commuted the sentences of others.
It is not unusual for large-scale amnesties to be carried out on public holidays in Myanmar.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which has been monitoring the post-coup crackdown, said in its latest update on April 12 that some 20,351 people had been detained for opposing the military.
