Prisoner release under way in Myanmar

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BANGKOK, July 3 (UPI) -- A prisoners' rights group confirmed Tuesday two dozen political prisoners were released from custody in Myanmar.

The non-profit Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said Tuesday a prisoner release was under way in the country.

"The release is confirmed, and it has started," AAPP secretary Bo Kyi told CNN from Thailand.

The government said it was planning to release as many as 46 prisoners, though it doesn't formally distinguish between political and non-political prisoners. The government, in a statement posted on state-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar, said the prisoner released was meant to "help national reconciliation."

Some governments have eased sanctions imposed on Myanmar in response to a series of political reforms that began with general elections in 2010. Former prisoner and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was freed that year and serves now as a member of the country's Parliament.

Concerns over the country remain, however. Human Rights Watch, in a 68-page report published last month, said as many as 10,000 Kachin refugees have fled conflict and abuses in Myanmar since June 2011.

Kachin rebels and other ethnic groups are battling for more self-rule. Myanmar's President Thein Sein has tried to broker peace agreements with ethnic rebels, but talks with the Kachin group have so far failed.