YANGON, March 7 (Xinhuanet) -- The Myanmar government Thursday
released 28 more female detainees on humanitarian grounds,
according to an official Information Sheet reaching here.
   All of the detainees, who are either pregnant or with young
children and were incarcerated for various criminal activities,
were freed from various "Correctional Facilities", the information
sheet said.
   The release was another batch in a series since the government
granted amnesty to criminal offenders by releasing 68 of them
since February 22 this year and the number of such release on
humanitarian grounds has been brought to 175.
   In February this year, United Nations Human Rights envoy to
Myanmar Paulo Sergio Pinheiro visited the country for ten days,
and three days after his trip, the Myanmar government started
releasing criminal offenders on humanitarian grounds.
   Meanwhile, according to the information sheet, the government
also released five more members of the opposition National League
for Democracy on Thursday who are identified as U Tin Oo, U Pa Lay,
U Maung Soe, U Maung Ponya and U Ohn Maung.
  So far, the total number of the freed NLD members and its
activists since January 2001 has been brought to 232.  Enditem