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Burma joy as freed prisoners head home
"Prisoner releases had been expected, but the inclusion of such prominent figures meant this was still a surprise”
When Ko Ko Gyi arrived at Rangoon airport the crowd had been waiting several hours and rushed to greet him. Ko Ko Gyi is one of the best known of the 88 generation of student leaders, along with Min Ko Naing, the most famous.
Under the current government, this is the fourth time prisoners have been freed - but people did not think the most prominent leaders would get out of jail for some time.
The announcement of the amnesty came as a surprise - and some people had suspicions.
Some people told me they would believe it only when they actually saw dissidents touch down at the airport and come out of the gates.
That is exactly what has now happened.
Almost every one of those main political activists and prominent leaders has been freed.