Burma's military leaders have released journalist Win Tin, the country's longest-serving political prisoner, after he spent 19 years in prison.Shortly after his release Tuesday from Insein Prison in the main city of Rangoon, the ailing 78-year-old told a group of reporters and others that he would continue his fight until the emergence of democracy in Burma.Win Tin was arrested in 1989 and sentenced to 20 years in jail for allegedly writing anti-government propaganda. His release comes as Burma also announced today the release of nine thousand and two prisoners for good behavior.Official media say the prisoners are being released so they can be turned into citizens able to participate in building a new nation. The reports added that they were freed so they could take part in what it described as the "fair election" to be held in 2010.It was not clear how many of Burma's estimated two thousand political prisoners are included in the amnesty.The elections are part of Burma's long announced road map to democracy, which will give voters the first chance to cast ballots since 1990.Western nations have dismissed the road map as a sham designed to keep the military in power.Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in 1990 elections, but the military refused to acknowledge the victory.The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been under house arrest for 13 of the last 19 years.
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