Return as responsible citizens to society

HONOURING the 78th Anniversary of Independence Day and with a view to bringing peace to the people, on grounds of social leniency and in recognition of the State’s goodwill, the Acting President of the Republic of the Un­ion of Myanmar has remitted the punishment of 6,134 prisoners from their respective pris¬ons, detention centres and camps reducing one-sixth of the sentences they are serving as per the relevant laws.

Under the amnesty, prisoners who have been sentenced for any offence and are serving their terms in various prisons, detention centres, or camps have been granted a remission of one-sixth of their remaining sentences under Section 401 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Those released prisoners have to improve their lives to be able to reunite with their families as well as their past societies. They should aban­don past practices and be­haviours which never benefit themselves as well as their families and societies. They have to try hard to improve themselves as admirable per­sons in their communities.

The release of these prisoners aims to provide them with opportunities to join hands with the people and to dutifully and faithfully participate in safeguarding independence and in the na­tion-building process based on the democratic and federal system being implemented by the State. In doing so, they can become responsi­ble and capable citizens who lay meaningful milestones in their lives. Consequently, their families and future gen­erations will have the oppor­tunity to overcome the stigma of imprisonment, replacing past hardships with positive contributions and efforts in nation-building, while each plays a role in implementing the democratic system.

Under the amnesty, pris­oners who have been sen­tenced for any offence and are serving their terms in various prisons, detention centres, or labour camps have been granted a remission of one-sixth of their remaining sentences under Section 401 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. A total of 6,134 prisoners across the country have been granted this remission, with the stipulation that “if they commit another offence, they shall continue to serve the remaining sentence in addition to any new sentence they receive.”

As such, the released prisoners need to rebuild their lives and families to secure the best future and fortune. Now is the best time for those released persons to serve the interests of the community as part of easing their past evil activities and paying back gratitude to the community. The best future awaits their return as responsible citizens.