YANGON, (Reuters) – Myanmar’s newspapers and social media users reacted with anger and disappointment yesterday to the government’s decision to include 155 Chinese in a mass amnesty, just eight days after they were jailed for illegal logging.
News journals slammed the freeing of the loggers, 153 of whom had been sentenced to life imprisonment, while Internet and social media users vented frustration over what they saw as the government caving in to pressure from its massive neighbour.
“I hope the Chinese government reads this,” Facebook user Ye Moe said in a post that had received around 1,200 “likes”.
“Though you got 153 people back, you also received the hatred of 51 million Myanmar people.”
The Chinese were jailed in northern Kachin state bordering China on July 22 and freed in an amnesty for 6,966 prisoners on Thursday, which included some journalists and activists.
China enjoyed a cozy relationship with Myanmar during 49 years of military rule in which the country was subject to sanctions and isolation by much of the West.
