A prisoner was killed and greater than 60 wounded after a riot broke out at a Myanmar jail west of Yangon, the junta stated on Saturday.

Myanmar has been in chaos since Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian authorities was toppled in a army coup in February 2021, ending the southeast Asian nation’s temporary interval of democracy.

The riot on the jail in Pathein began after guards confiscated a cell phone from an inmate on Thursday evening and took disciplinary motion, the junta stated in an announcement.

About 70 prisoners escaped from their cells and broken property on Friday morning.

Prisoners used sticks, bricks and items of cement to assault safety forces, the junta stated.

Authorities tried to convey the state of affairs underneath management however negotiations failed and so they resorted to power.

“The authorities fired weapons to interrupt up the group and convey the riot underneath management,” the assertion stated.

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The junta stated one prisoner was killed “amid preventing” and 63 inmates had been wounded together with two police and 9 guards.

Native media described the lifeless inmate as a political prisoner and BBC Burmese stated he was on terrorism prices.

The junta flagged the launch of an investigation into the incident.

Final week, the junta introduced it might free greater than 7,000 prisoners to mark the seventy fifth anniversary of Myanmar’s independence from Britain.

Greater than 2,700 individuals have been killed because the army seized energy and greater than 13,000 individuals are detained as a part of a crackdown on dissent, based on an area monitoring group.

In July final 12 months the regime executed 4 prisoners together with former lawmaker Phyo Zeya Thaw and democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu — higher generally known as “Jimmy”.

It was the primary use of the dying penalty by the Myanmar state in round 30 years and sparked worldwide condemnation.

Human Rights Watch says Myanmar prisons are infamous for harsh circumstances and their alleged use of torture.