YANGON: Myanmar President Htin Kyaw pardoned 83 political prisoners on the country’s traditional New Year Sunday, a spokesman from his office said, as the fledgling civilian-led administration seeks to cast off the shackles of nearly half a century of military rule.

The new government, steered by veteran democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, has spent its first weeks in power freeing scores of political activists prosecuted under the country’s former military leaders.

“All of the 83 prisoners that the president gave amnesty to today are political prisoners and prisoners concerned with political cases,” Zaw Htay, the deputy director of the president’s office, said.

A presidential pardon published Sunday morning said the amnesty was granted to “make people feel happy and peaceful, and (promote) national reconciliation during the New Year”.

The former junta’s routine jailing of dissidents was one of many repressive policies that garnered support for the democracy struggle led by Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD), which swept historic polls in November.

The party is stacked with ex-political prisoners who were jailed for their activism under the former military regime.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2016