A truck transferring female inmates between Prome and Thayet prisons in Pegu Division has crashed on a highway, leaving one dead.

The accident happened on Wednesday at around 5am in the vicinity of the town of Kanma. The prison van was carrying 25 inmates plus 12 law enforcement officers when it crashed. Six officers and four prisoners were injured; one of the prison officers is said to be in a critical condition.

U Saw is a volunteer with the Moe Metta Charity Group, which was called to the scene of the accident, and helped transfer the wounded to a hospital in Prome [Pyay].

“We headed there immediately after receiving a phone call about the accident,” he said. “Four female inmates were injured, as were six police personnel –two male and four female officers.

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“One female inmate was killed by the impact,” he added.

Burmese TV broadcaster SkyNet launched a series on Monday that purports to show how conditions in the country’s notorious prison system are supposedly improving.

The show included footage from inside Rangoon’s Insein Prison and brief interviews with three female prisoners.

However, a recent in-depth investigation by Myanmar Now revealed widespread abuse, corruption and exploitation of prisoners held in labour camps.