Civil rights groups say the junta has arrested thousands of protesters and activists since its 2021 coup cut short Myanmar's experiment with democracy and plunged the nation into a multi-sided civil war.
A junta statement said 4,893 prisoners will be pardoned “to participate in the state-building process, for peace of mind of people and on compassionate grounds”.
The offences include unlawful association and terrorism, as well as murder and rape.
Some of the hundreds on board disembarked outside the gates, reuniting with tearful families holding placards marked with their loved ones' names.
The amnesty announcement was made as junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was reportedly due to make a rare foreign trip to Bangkok to meet Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is chairing the 10-country ASEAN bloc this year.
But Anwar said he would meet Min Aung Hlaing Thursday to discuss the safety of Malaysian humanitarian teams dispatched to Myanmar following last month's magnitude-7.7 earthquake.
Myanmar’s ongoing “Thingyan” water festival typically marks the country’s new year with water-splashing rituals representing cleansing and renewal.
But celebrations have been muted following the March 28 tremor in the country's central belt, which has killed 3,725 according to the latest official toll.
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