YANGON, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's President U Min Aung Hlaing granted amnesty to 1,519 prisoners on Thursday to commemorate Buddha Day, state-owned Myanmar Radio and Television reported.

The president granted amnesty to 1,508 Myanmar prisoners and 11 foreign prisoners in separate orders on Buddha Day, which falls on the full moon day of Kason in Myanmar, the report said.

The amnesty is intended to bring peace and humanity to the public, enable the pardoned individuals to participate in nation-building, and in view of maintaining friendly relations among countries, the report said.

The orders stated that if any of the pardoned individuals re-offend, they will be required to serve both the new sentence and the remainder of their previous sentence. Meanwhile, the foreign prisoners were pardoned and expelled from the country.

In a separate order, the president also reduced one-sixth of the sentences of prisoners jailed across the country.

On April 17 this year, over 4,500 prisoners were granted amnesty to mark Myanmar's traditional New Year's Day. ■