One man reunited with his weeping family outside the prison took his baby into his arms.
Ma Ye Ye was waiting to see if her son, who was arrested under the law in 2021, would be freed.
“He was arrested for nothing,” she said, requesting a pseudonym for fear of retaliation.
“He just walked through a security gate and soldiers arrested him.”
“I was thinking this morning that it would be really good if my son was to be released on this Buddha day,” Ma Khin, another mother waiting in the crowd said, also requesting a pseudonym.
“Then I received phone calls from my relatives that there would be an amnesty … I don’t know if he will be on the list, but it’s my duty to come and wait for him.”
The military ordered the pardons “for the peaceful mind of the people and on humanitarian grounds”, it said.
Those who re-offend will have to serve the remainder of their sentence with an additional penalty, it added.
Myanmar typically grants amnesties to thousands of prisoners to mark national holidays or Buddhist festivals.
CRACKDOWN
Wednesday’s announcement comes as Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang is in the country for talks with the internationally isolated generals.
On Tuesday he met junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, becoming the highest-profile Chinese official to meet the top general since the putsch.
“China advocates that the international community should respect Myanmar’s sovereignty and play a constructive role in helping it achieve peace and reconciliation,” Qin said, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
