YANGON, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's State Administration Council remitted sentences of a total of 23,184 prisoners on Saturday, the first day of Myanmar calendar New Year.
According to the council's orders, 23,047 Myanmar national prisoners and 137 foreign prisoners are remitted sentences to mark Myanmar's traditional new year and on humanitarian ground as well as in view of relations between the respective countries and Myanmar.
According to a separate pardon order, the council reduced the death penalty to life imprisonment with no possibility of release, and reduced the life imprisonment with no possibility of release to 40 years, excluding those who have been pardoned from death penalty to life imprisonment in the previous amnesty orders.
Prisoners who have been sentenced to life imprisonment in the previous amnesty orders will be reduced to 50 years of imprisonment, and punishment of more than 40 years of imprisonment will be reduced to 40 years while 40 years and under are cut one-fourth, the order said.
The council also remitted sentences of 23,314 local prisoners and 55 foreign prisoners on Feb. 12 after a one-year state of emergency was declared in Myanmar on Feb. 1 this year.
The state power was handed over to Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, chair of newly formed State Administration Council. Enditem
