Eight of the 11 people who were arrested by Myanmar junta security forces in Yangon last week for talking to a CNN reporter have been released, according to the US news network.
A CNN team led by the network’s chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward has been on a guided tour of Myanmar for the last week attempting to cover, with the regime’s permission, what is happening in the country.
Nationwide protests against the military’s Feb. 1 coup have seen more than 560 people, including children, killed in crackdowns by the regime’s security forces.
The eleven were arrested after talking to CNN in local markets in Yangon last Friday. Ward said it was a “very distracting incident” in her live report from Yangon on Monday.
Over the weekend, Ward had a chance to ask about the arrests during her sit-down interview with the regime’s spokesperson and was told that they would be released soon.
“They haven’t committed any crime. Eleven people got arrested. Security forces were worried that they provoked others and started the protest in the market. That’s why they got arrested. However, the government is arranging to release them as soon as possible,” said Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun during the interview, according to CNN’s report.
On Monday, Ward said that they were very relieved to be able to confirm that at least eight of the 11 people had been released. The fate of the remaining three is currently unclear.
“That’s really, truly great news,” said Ward in her report from Yangon.
On Tuesday, The Irrawaddy reached out to some of those released. But they said they were not comfortable about commenting on the incident at the moment.
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