NAYPYITAW, 19 October 2021, (TON): Myanmar's junta chief announced the release of more than 5,000 people jailed for protesting against a February coup, days after a regional bloc delivered a major snub to the military regime.

There has been chaos in Myanmar since the coup, with more than 1,100 civilians killed in a bloody crackdown on dissent and more than 8,000 arrested, according to a local monitoring group.

More than 7,300 are currently behind bars, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

Junta head Min Aung Hlaing said a total of 5,636 prisoners will be freed to mark the Thadingyut festival later in October, without providing details on when they would be freed.

The announcement comes on the heels of the Asean's decision to exclude Senior General Min Aung Hlaing from an upcoming summit of the 10-country bloc over his administration's commitment to defusing the bloody crisis.

General Min Aung Hlaing gave no details on who would be included in the list and prison authorities did not respond to media requests for comment.

The Democratic Voice of Burma news website said three of its journalists, all held for around six months, had been freed.