US welcomes release of political prisoners in Myanmar

The US has welcomed the release of political prisoners in Myanmar and commended the commitment of its President to release all such prisoners by the year's end.
"We welcome the Government of Burma's (now Myanmar)release of another 69 political prisoners today, including two high-profile activists," the State Department spokesperson, Jen Psaki, told reporters yesterday.
"The government has released over 1,100 political prisoners since it began reform efforts. We also commend the serious work of the political prisoner review committee and its efforts to meet the President's commitment to release all political prisoners by year's end," Psaki said.
Among those releases are Kyaw Ne Win and Aye Ne Win, the two grandsons of former dictator Ne Win, from Rangoon's Insein prison, the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said.

Meanwhile, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the three winning partnerships selected under its Higher Education Partnerships to Support the US-Burma Commitment to Democracy, Peace and Prosperity.
"Universities can play an important role in Burma's transition. Working closely with America's universities and private sector, we are helping to develop Burma's leaders of tomorrow, while building the capacity in local universities necessary to sustain democratic and economic reform," said Chris Milligan, USAID/Burma Mission Director.
"The challenges to the country are stark, with Burma ranked 149 out of 183 countries in the 2012 UN Human Development Index. These partnerships demonstrate the commitment of the American people to Burma to harness technology and innovative partnerships to accelerate and sustain the country's reform process, expand economic opportunity and provide more opportunity for citizen engagement," USAID said.