A hat tip to Frontier Myanmar for their daily translated press briefing.

Jamie

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translated from Daily Eleven

Calls to release political prisoners, and sick and elderly inmates, to prevent spread of coronavirus in prisons
The government should promptly launch a plan to reduce the number of inmates in crowded prisons with weak healthcare as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19, say political prisoner advocacy groups and some retired prison officials.

They called on the government to immediately release political prisoners, and sick and elderly prisoners, in line with the law.

“This is the right time for the government, Tatmadaw and the Ministry of Home Affairs to quickly start the plan to reduce inmate numbers to prevent coronavirus spreading in prisons,” said U Tun Kyi, a steering committee member of the Former Political Prisoners’ Society.

Legal consultant U Khin Maung Myint, a former prison officer, said prisons were holding twice their capacity and some inmates should be released because it would be difficult to control the situation if there was a coronavirus outbreak in prisons.

If prisoners contracted the disease they might pass it to visitors and during court hearings, he said.

https://mailchi.mp/frontiermyanmar.net/anp-mps-fear-for-the-future-of-rakhine-state?e=cc2e99cf93