Over 600 prisoners in Myanmar, including former prime minister Khin Nyunt who has been under house arrest since 2005, were granted amnesty on Friday, Xinhua reported.
On Wednesday, the Myanmar government announced a large amnesty campaign, under which over 6,000 prisoners will be freed.
The 72-year old Khin Nyunt, who headed the Myanmar government for 14 months from August 2003, was convicted of abuse of power and corruption in 2005 and received a 44-year suspended sentence. Later he was put under house arrest.
Myanmar, previously called Burma, was ruled by military junta from 1962 until last year, when the military transferred power to an ostensibly civilian government.
The amnesty is a part of the country’s efforts to end U.S. and European sanctions that were imposed on senior government officials for a number of years.
On Thursday, the international community hailed the peace deal that Myanmar’s government signed with ethnic Karen rebels, putting an end to a 62-year conflict.
"We have long called on Burmese authorities to halt hostilities in the ethnic areas and begin an inclusive dialogue with the ethnic minority groups towards national reconciliation," U.S Department of State spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said at a press conference on Thursday.
