Myanmar release 6,100 prisoners to mark independence anniversary

Myanmar's military government granted amnesty to more than 6,100 prisoners and reduced other inmates' sentences to mark the 78th anniversary of the country's independence.

It was not immediately clear whether those set free include the thousands of political detainees imprisoned for opposing military rule.

At Yangon's Insein Prison, relatives of prisoners gathered at the gates early Sunday morning.

As a convoy of buses left through the main gate, they surged forward or ran alongside trying to get a glimpse of who was inside.

The amnesty comes as the military government proceeds with a month-long, three-stage election process.