Myanmar plans to release 6,359 prisoners on Wednesday under an amnesty order, China's official news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday, citing Myanmar's state television and radio.
A new official human rights body in Myanmar urged the president on Tuesday to release "prisoners of conscience" in an open letter in state media, which some took to be a sign that the reclusive state was preparing to free political prisoners within days.
The words "political prisoners" were not mentioned in the Xinhua announcement, which gave no further details.
