Amnesty given to 155 Chinese loggers jailed in Myanmar

The 155 Chinese loggers detained in Myanmar were returned to China Thursday night, a move analysts see as a goodwill gesture by the Myanmar government to maintain Sino-Myanmar ties. The loggers returned to Yunnan Province's Tengchong county near the Chinese-Myanmar border by bus, and were welcomed by family members. Li Cailiang, a family member of one detained logger, told the Global Times Thursday night that his relatives have been waiting near the border since this afternoon after they received the news from the provincial government. The Chinese loggers were among 6,966 prisoners granted amnesty by President U Thein Sein on Thursday, including 210 foreigners. Hong Lei, foreign ministry spokesman, said China values the decision made by the Myanmar government. The loggers were arrested in January in Kachin state, close to the Chinese border in Yunnan Province, during a military operation against illegal logging. On July 22, they were sentenced for violating Myanmar's law against destroying public property, leading to a protest from the Chinese government. They were sentenced to up to 35 years in prison for illegal logging, including two 17-year-olds who were handed 10-year jail terms, while a woman from the group was given an additional 15 years for drug possession. Hong said Thursday that the Chinese government has been in close contact with Myanmar to seek the return of the Chinese loggers. Last month, Chinese officials handed over 205 Myanmar nationals detained in China for living and working in China illegally, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Mutual efforts Analysts said they believe the quick release reflects the efforts made by the governments of both countries. "Constant communication has played a key role in their release, which was sooner than expected. The Myanmar government is aware that the sentence was too harsh and will severely affect bilateral ties," Zhu Zhenming, a research fellow at the Yunnan Academy of Southeast Asian and South Asian Studies of the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. The Myanmar government has been granting amnesty to political prisoners as part of its democratization efforts and response to Western criticism, Zhu said. The order is made to ensure stability and national reconciliation and to allow everyone to participate in the political process, as well as on humanitarian grounds, the amnesty order said. "Myanmar will be holding a general election in November. It is important for the government to maintain stability and avoid confrontation with other countries," Zhu said. China and Myanmar share a 2,000-kilometer border, which has been a hotbed for the illegal trade in timber and jade, and the battleground between the Myanmar government and Kokang, an ethnic minority rebel group. The war with the Kokang has spilled across the Chinese border, further straining the two countries' relations. Xu Liping, a professor at the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said he believes relations between the two countries would not be affected by this single episode, stressing it provides an opportunity for the two sides to review their ties. "In the long run, the two countries should work together to strengthen border security to stop illegal logging activities," Xu noted. "Bilateral ties are undergoing a readjustment following Myanmar's democratic reforms. Myanmar has revised its diplomatic policies which have weakened its link with China," Xu told the Global Times on Thursday.