YANGON, Jan 2: Myanmar's military government said on Sunday it was releasing 5,588 prisoners ahead of the 57th anniversary of independence on January 4, the fourth mass release in six weeks.

"The prisoners are being released for good behaviour and contribution to the state while they were in jail, and also in honour of the 57th anniversary of independence," the junta said on state radio.

The release brings to 19,906 the number of prisoners, mainly believed to be petty criminals, authorities say they have set free since November 18. This week's gesture differs from the previous three mass releases in that the first ones were due to what the junta described as "irregularities" in arrests by a since-disbanded military intelligence organisation.

There has so far been no accurate independent verification of the numbers released. About 50 dissidents are believed to have been freed by the junta in the three releases, according to opposition parties including Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD).

From the beginning of the releases in November the junta has acknowledged that the inmates may have been wrongly imprisoned by the powerful National Intelligence Bureau. The NIB was disbanded in October in a purge that saw the sacking of its former head, premier General Khin Nyunt, and his house arrest on corruption allegations. -AFP