Myanmar’s junta opened voting in the phased month-long election a week ago, with its leaders pledging the poll would bring on democracy. Relatives of prisoners hold placards with the names of inmates as they wait outside Insein prison in Yangon, Myanmar, yesterday. It was not immediately clear whether those released include the thousands of political detainees imprisoned for opposing military rule. The prisoner releases, common on holidays and other significant occasions in Myanmar, began yesterday and are expected to take several days to complete. At Yangon’s Insein Prison, which is notorious for housing political detainees, relatives of prisoners gathered at the gates early in the morning.

Source: Taipei Times January 04, 2026 17:31 UTC