Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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           Burma to Consider Releasing Remaining Political Prisoners

   Burmese President Thein Sein has announced the formation of a committee
   to look into the possible release of the hundreds of political
   prisoners still thought to be behind bars.
   The president's office Thursday said the new committee will "scrutinize
   the remaining political prisoners serving their terms in prisons
   throughout the country so as to grant them liberty."
   Activists say it is the first time the government has explicitly
   referred to prisoners of conscience as "political prisoners."
   Since taking power in 2011, President Thein Sein has released hundreds
   of activists, journalists and others as part of a program the
   government says is aimed at national reconciliation.
   But critics have complained that the amnesty program has not gone far
   enough. They say that around 200 dissidents and other prisoners of
   conscience remain in jail.
   In the statement Thursday, the president's office said the committee
   first will determine who is a prisoner of conscience, and then come up
   with a framework for releasing them.
   It said the committee likely will be chaired by Union Minister U Soe
   Thane and made up of representatives from various government
   ministries, civil societies and some political parties.
   The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a leading Burmese
   exile group, tells VOA it has accepted a government offer to take part
   in the committee.
   AAPP Chief of Office Aung Myo Thein calls the announcement an
   "important first step" toward releasing all of Burma's political
   prisoners. He says he believes his organization has a willing partner
   in the Burmese government.
   "The AAPP welcomes this process. [The government] invited the AAPP to
   be involved in this committee. The AAPP has agreed that one
   representative will participate," he said.
   The AAPP estimates there are at least 240 political prisoners still
   jailed in Burma.
   Soe Aung, who works for the Thailand-based Forum for Democracy in
   Burma, also welcomes the move. He says it is important that the
   committee come up with an accurate list of political prisoners as soon
   as possible.
   "This should be done sooner rather than later," he said. "[But] it
   should be welcomed if the president mentioned in his statement that
   they are political prisoners, because they have been denying this fact
   for so long."
   The presidential statement did not include a time frame for when the
   committee will be formed or when the political prisoners will be freed.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/burma-to-consider-releasing-remaining
   -political-prisoners/1598840.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/burma-to-consider-releasing-remaining-political-prisoners/1598840.html