Burma opens to a round of applause

Family members of prisoners wait for their release outside the Insein central prison in Yangon on 12 October 2011. (Photo: AAP)

Author: Sigourney Irvine, ANU

The Burmese government recently pardoned 651 prisoners, an act that international media greeted with positive fanfare and applause.

It may be thought absurd for a government to conduct such a mass amnesty, and the reaction of the media may seem even more out of place. But for Burma, absurdity has long been a staple. Read more…