McCully welcomes release of political prisoners

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has welcomed the release of 514 prisoners by the Burmese authorities. Many of these were originally detained on political grounds.

“Over the past year the Burmese Government has initiated a number of positive changes, and the further release of prisoners is another significant and meaningful step that will enable greater engagement by partners such as New Zealand,” Mr McCully said.

“During my visit in March of this year, I was encouraged with the progress I witnessed and with the signals I received from the government.

“New Zealand welcomes this most recent release as part of a greater transition of political reform that will see all of the country’s citizens take a more active part in its future development.”