Junta frees hundreds of protesters as silent strike takes hold in Yangon

YANGON • Myanmar's junta yesterday freed hundreds of demonstrators arrested during its brutal crackdown on protests, while many businesses in Yangon remained shut and streets were deserted after anti-coup activists called for a silent strike.

Several buses full of prisoners drove out of Yangon's Insein Prison in the morning, said witnesses, who included lawyers for some inmates.

There was no immediate word from the authorities on how many prisoners were freed.

"All the released are the ones arrested due to the protests, as well as night arrests or those who were out to buy something," said a member of a legal advisory group, who said he saw around 15 buses leaving.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group says at least 2,000 people have been arrested in the military crackdown on the protests against the Feb 1 military coup.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that among those freed yesterday was AP journalist Thein Zaw, who was arrested last month.

AP cited him as saying the judge had dropped the charges because he was doing his job at the time of his arrest.

Few vehicles were seen on the road in the country's biggest city, witnesses said, after the call by pro-democracy activists for the silent strike.

"No going out, no shops, no working. All shut down. Just for one day," illustrator and activist Nobel Aung told Reuters.

"The usual meat and vegetables vendors on the street didn't show up," said a resident of the city's Mayangone district.

"No car noises, only birds."

A teacher in the Kyauktada district said the roads were deserted.

"There aren't many people in the streets, only water delivery men," the resident said.

The strike comes a day after staff at a funeral service in Mandalay told Reuters that a seven-year-old girl had died of bullet wounds in the city - the youngest of about 275 people killed so far in the crackdown, according to the AAPP.

The shooting death of the girl, Khin Myo Chit, in her own home triggered fresh outrage at the country's military crackdown.

Soldiers shot at her father but hit the girl, who was sitting on his lap inside their home, her sister told the Myanmar Now media outlet.

The Myanmar office of the United Nations children's agency Unicef said: "The continuing use of force against children, including the use of live ammunition, by security forces is taking a devastating toll on children in Myanmar."

The agency said in a statement that since the crisis started, at least 23 children had been killed and at least 11 others seriously injured.

Meanwhile, a court hearing for Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been postponed until April 1, an aide to her lawyer said yesterday, marking the second successive postponement in her case.

Ms Suu Kyi, who was arrested the same day that the military seized power in Myanmar, faces charges that include illegally importing six handheld radios and breaching coronavirus protocols.

The military has also accused her of bribery in two recent televised news conferences, as it seeks to justify the coup and ensure she stays behind bars.

The junta also said an Australian adviser to Ms Suu Kyi is being investigated by the authorities under two separate charges.

Mr Sean Turnell, who was detained shortly after the coup, is being investigated for violations of Myanmar's immigration and official secrets acts, junta spokesman Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun said in a briefing on Tuesday.

If found guilty, he could face several years in prison.

The general said: "We have allowed Sean Turnell to speak to his family on the phone twice, and will allow him more."

The investigation comes as Myanmar's military faces sanctions from the United States and its allies.

On Monday, the US handed down its latest round of targeted sanctions against individuals and entities in Myanmar, including two army divisions.

The European Union on Monday imposed restrictive measures of its own, on 11 individuals responsible for the military coup including army chief Min Aung Hlaing.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BLOOMBERG