Myanmar military spokesperson General Zaw Min Tun announced the release of 5,864 prisoners nationwide to mark Myanmar’s Independence Day on January 4, 2025. Among those to be released are 600 Myanmar political detainees and 180 foreign nationals. Most of the foreign detainees are reportedly Thai and Indonesian nationals. The Thai prisoners are largely those apprehended in Myanmar’s Tachileik region near Thailand’s Mae Hong Son province, with charges linked to online gambling operations or illegal fishing activities.
However, General Zaw Min Tun made no mention of four Thai nationals detained in Myanmar's Ranong province following the Myanmar navy’s interception of a Thai fishing boat on November 29, 2025, for alleged territorial waters violations. Despite earlier reports suggesting their release was imminent, the four remain in custody, leaving their families in uncertainty.