(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-12-04 17:16

YANGON - The Myanmar government has granted amnesty to 8,585 prisoners as a gesture to mark the starting of work of drafting a new state constitution as the third step of its seven-step roadmap, state media reported Tuesday.

The move also marks domestic national reconsolidation efforts as well as the country's friendly cooperation with the international community including the United Nations, said the New Light of Myanmar daily.

The prisoners, who were released between Nov. 16 and Dec. 3, included 33 Thai nationals, the report added.

The newly-formed State Constitution Drafting Commission started work on Monday as the third step of the road map to undertake the drafting of a new state constitution in line with the detailed basic principles adopted in the national convention which ended on Sept. 3.

According to the government's roadmap announced in August 2003, the new constitution draft is to be endorsed through a national referendum, then a new general election will follow to produce parliament representatives and form a new democratic government.