Former political prisoners, monks, and disciples have expressed concern for the safety of prominent monk U Pinnya Zawta, a U.S. citizen who has been in junta custody for more than a week since his return to Myanmar.
The abbot of Metta Parami Monastery in Buffalo, New York, U Pinnya Zawta was arrested on Nov. 13 in Mingaladon Township, Yangon while visiting for religious purposes on a visa from the Myanmar Embassy in Washington.
A former political prisoner close to U Pinnya Zawta said his disciples had informed the U.S. Embassy and other relevant organizations about the arrest but were unable to contact him.
“I can confirm that a female disciple in Yangon has also been detained,” the source said. “People who have ties with him there have also apparently been detained, and we have lost contact with all of them. We fear that he is being held at an interrogation center.”
Former political prisoners cited previous examples of fatal torture of detainees in interrogation camps.
Buddhist monk U Zawana, who is also a former political prisoner, said: “We are very worried as he is being held incommunicado. The current military regime is worse and more lawless than previous ones, so we’re concerned that he might suffer life-threatening injuries or disability.”
The 64-year-old entered the monkhood when he was 20. He has been on medication for diabetes and an enlarged prostate, and those close to him worry about his health in detention.
Many political prisoners have died from being denied timely medical treatment since the 2021 coup. Among the most prominent were senior National League for Democracy (NLD) member U Nyan Win, NLD vice-chair and former Mandalay Region chief minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, and U Win Khaing, the electricity minister in the NLD government.
U Pinnya Zawta was a leading figure in the 2007 Saffron Revolution and a founder of the Young Monks Union in Myanmar before fleeing the country due to persecution. He later applied for U.S. citizenship.
Former political prisoner U Htun Kyi warned that U Pinnya Zawta’s American passport cannot protect him.
“The junta does not show leniency towards foreigners,” he said, citing the example of economic advisor to the ousted NLD government Sean Turnell from Australia, and Nathan Maung, a Myanmar journalist with U.S. citizenship.
“Sean Turnell was released only after continuous pressure from the Australian government. Nathan Maung also survived. But both were put in interrogation centers and jail, which to my mind are the most severe violators of human rights, so the monk’s life is at constant risk,” he said.
When contacted by The Irrawaddy, the U.S. Embassy in Myanmar said it was aware of the monk’s detention but declined to comment further, adding that it would provide a comprehensive update after contacting the relevant consular office.
U Pinnya Zawta is affectionally known in his circle of fellow political prisoners as Nat Zaw, after his native town of Natmauk in Magwe Region. He was jailed by the previous regime in 1990 and 1998 over a religious boycott known in Pali as “pattanikkujjana,” which involves refusing alms from those who have committed offenses against the clergy or religious principles, and refusing to perform religious rites like funerals and weddings for them.
