All 155 Chinese loggers arrested in Myanmar in January, including the 152 recently sentenced to life in prison, have been freed and sent back to China, according to Channel News Asia.
The prisoners’ release comes after their initial life sentences raised tensions between Myanmar and China, which share a border. Chinese authorities were lobbying “intensely” for the prisoners’ release, according to ChannelNewsAsia.
Myanmar hoped the release would “promote goodwill” and keep a “friendly relationship between countries,” according to ChannelNewsAsia.
The release was part of a mass prisoner amnesty that freed 6,966 “well-disciplined” detainees, including 210 foreigners, from Myanmar jails nationwide.
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