Myanmar Frees 16 Members of Opposition

The military regime released from prison 16 members of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, official sources said Saturday.

The opposition members were freed Friday from Mandalay prison in northern Myanmar. They were detained last year in connection with Suu Kyi’s abortive attempts to visit party members outside Yangon, the capital, the sources said on condition of anonymity.

NLD leaders were not available for comment. The party headquarters in Yangon is closed on the weekend.

An additional 84 party members were freed in January from Yangon’s Insein prison.

In October, Suu Kyi and the regime began secret talks on breaking a decade-long political deadlock. That led to a reduction in hostile rhetoric from both sides and renewed optimism, although the status of the talks remains unclear as both sides refuse to give details.

But Suu Kyi, who won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful democracy struggle, and her two top lieutenants remain confined to their homes in Yangon.

The prisoner releases appear timed to coincide with the military regime’s announcement that it will allow the United Nations’ new human rights monitor into the country this week. His predecessor was barred from visiting.