In what seems to be a sign of slowly relenting to the onslaught of the United Nations and the international community, the Burmese military junta on Thursday released 75 detainees including six political activists. The release comes in the wake of the departure of UN rights envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro after a five-day probe into the junta’s repressive handling of the protests by monks and the people.

The six activists – Tun Lin Kyaw, Thet Naung, Phone Aung, Ma Yi Yi Win, Thein Naing Oo, and a sixth who is still unidentified – were freed along with 69 other detainees on Thursday afternoon, after the Human Rights expert Paulo Sergio Pinheiro concluded his trip to Burma.

Tun Lin Kyaw, one of the activists freed from the notorious Insein prison in Rangoon, told Mizzima, “We were released at about 11 a.m. Among those freed were 60 men and 15 women including six of us, who are active politically.”

“The situation in the prison affected my health,” added Tun Lin Kyaw, who was arrested on September 17, 2007 for staging a solo protest in front of the Rangoon City Hall. He was sentenced to seven years in prison. He was afflicted with a lung disease in the prison confines.

Thein Naing Oo, a youth member of the National League for Democracy who was among those freed on Thursday said that jail authorities in Insein gave them unhygienic food and water. No proper medical attention was provided causing the health of several prisoners to deteriorate.

“Half my body is paralyzed. Since the left side of my body was paralyzed, I demanded treatment but it was denied to me. Because of lack of treatment and proper care, my health worsened,” said Thein Naing Oo.

Thein Naing Oo was arrested June 14, 2003 and sentenced to a seven year prison term, for denouncing the brutal attack on Burmese democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s motorcade in Depayin town on May 30, 2007. And for continuously sending appeal letters and trying to stage protests.

The activists released on Thursday were arrested in 2003 and 2004 and were forced to sign a bond saying that they would not be involved in politics in future, sources said. However, another activist, Kyaw Kyaw, who refused to sign the pledge, was taken back to prison, the source, who is close to the activists, said.

“I think I was freed because my health condition became critical and it would be dangerous to continue to keep me in prison. It seems they did not want to keep me in prison anymore because they feared I might die in custody,” added Tun Lin Kyaw.

Meanwhile, the UN rights expert, Pinheiro, on Thursday wound up his five-day visit after meeting several junta officials and other organisations, including the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee (the State Governing Body of the Buddhist Clergy), the junta backed Union Solidarity Development and Association (USDA) and also several monasteries including Ngwe Kyar Yan and Kaba Aye.

The rights experts, who also visited Burma’s notorious Insein prison and other detention camps, however, did not make any statement on his findings.