The Burmese government says it will release hundreds of prisoners ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to the country.
Burma's state media announced Thursday that President Thein Sein will pardon 452 prisoners in an effort to promote bilateral relations. Officials said political prisoners will be among those released, but it is not clear how many.
President Obama arrives in Burma Monday for a landmark visit, which is largely seen as an endorsement of Burma's democratic reforms in the past year and a half.
Since taking office in March 2011, President Thein Sein has overseen a number of political reforms that enabled the long-detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to participate in the political process. He has also granted amnesty to hundreds of prisoners.