• Burmese
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
27 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Global Concern for Detained Former Monk Gambira

Saw Yan Naing by Saw Yan Naing
December 7, 2012
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Global Concern for Detained Former Monk Gambira

Former Buddhist monk Gambira is currently being detained at Rangoon’s Insein Prison. (Photo: Reuters)

4.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON—The continued detention of Gambira, a well-known former Buddhist monk who was previously jailed for his leading role instigating the 2007 Saffron Revolution popular uprising, has generated a wave of concern from the international community.

The outspoken 33-year-old was rearrested by police on Dec. 1 and is now being detained in Rangoon’s infamous Insein Prison. He is currently in a poor state of health and suffering from acute headaches, said his brother Aung Kyaw Kyaw after visiting him on Wednesday.

The US Embassy in Rangoon has joined calls for the Burmese government to clarify why he is being detained. “We’re monitoring reports of U Gambira’s detention. We urged the government of Burma to be fully transparent and follow due process of law,” said a post on embassy’s Twitter social network page.

RelatedPosts

China’s Bet on Myanmar Junta Risks Backfiring

China’s Bet on Myanmar Junta Risks Backfiring

June 17, 2025
64
Myanmar Junta Attacks to Reclaim KIA’s Jade and Rare Earth Strongholds

Myanmar Junta Attacks to Reclaim KIA’s Jade and Rare Earth Strongholds

June 16, 2025
655
China is Systematically Dismantling Tibetan Monastic Traditions

China is Systematically Dismantling Tibetan Monastic Traditions

June 16, 2025
579

Aung Kyaw Kyaw said that Gambira is currently being held for three offences under the Burmese Penal Code—Section 448 for house trespassing, carrying a penalty of up to one year imprisonment; Section 427 for damaging the dignity of the nation, with a penalty of up to two years; and Section 454 for house-breaking, with a penalty of up to 10 years. He is due for trial on Dec. 14.

The charges relate to removing the locks from several monasteries in February 2012, as well as staying in a monastery without permission. The buildings had been sealed by the authorities as they believed that the resident monks played an active role in dissident activities.

“It is not clear why the authorities have decided to press charges against U Gambira more than nine months after the alleged offenses occurred,” Amnesty International said in a statement. “There are credible accounts that U Gambira was subjected to torture after his arrest in 2007 and endured ill-treatment in prison between 2008 and his release on Jan. 13, 2012, leaving his health in a fragile condition.”

Gambira is joined in Insein Prison by leading Burmese activist Moe Thway, a leader of Rangoon-based Generation Wave, and another activist Aung Soe. All three were arrested by police on Dec. 1 during a rally outside the Chinese Embassy in Rangoon to protest last week’s violent crackdown on anti-copper mine protesters.

Gambira, also known as Nyi Nyi Lwin, was a leading figure in the monk-led Saffron Revolution pro-democracy protests of September 2007 and was sentenced to 68 years in prison as a consequence. He was released earlier this year in a presidential amnesty, but has been rearrested several times afterwards for his outspoken criticism of the government.

On Thursday, London-based activist group Burma Campaign UK called on British Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire MP, who will pay a visit to Burma next week, to demand the unconditional release of Gambira and all remaining political prisoners in Burma.

“It was bad enough that President Thein Sein had decided to keep hundreds of political prisoners in jail, selectively releasing them when he wants good publicity,” said Wai Hnin, group campaigns officer.

“Now we are seeing released prisoners sent back to jail, and new people being arrested and put on trial for peacefully protesting. Everyone in Burma remembers we have seen this happen before, under Than Shwe and Ne Win.”

Gambira has now been arrested three times since his release in January. He has kept speaking about human rights violations in Burma and has been denied a national identity card or passport as a result.

All those freed in amnesties since 2011 have been granted conditional release under Section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Any prisoner who is subsequently deemed by the authorities to have breached these terms can be returned to prison to serve the remainder of their original sentence.

Gambira was reportedly tortured during his previous detention and claims to have been strapped to a chair for weeks at a time, force-fed and brutally beaten on the head.

“Gambira is a victim of extreme forms of torture who is continuing to suffer physical and mental ailments as a consequence of his previous incarceration and treatment,” said a statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission. “His re-imprisonment is an act that demonstrates the extreme insensitivity of the authorities in Myanmar to the incidence of torture and its aftermath.”

Your Thoughts …
Saw Yan Naing

Saw Yan Naing

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang
Burma

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 28, 2023
98.3k

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army troops are opening roads and pathways through forests for people to flee Kokang’s capital as...

Read moreDetails
Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public
Burma

Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public

by The Irrawaddy
February 7, 2024
89.3k

People’s Defense Force says junta troops told every household in the village to send one member to witness the double...

Read moreDetails
Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
War Against the Junta

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

by The Irrawaddy
November 29, 2023
87k

Brotherhood Alliance member says it now has complete control of Kokang’s northernmost section after the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 125...

Read moreDetails
Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks
Burma

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

by The Irrawaddy
December 4, 2023
59k

The junta said deserters would not be punished for minor crimes, highlighting the military’s shortage of troops as resistance offensives...

Read moreDetails
As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue
Burma

As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue

by The Irrawaddy
April 19, 2024
46.9k

The junta’s No. 2 has not been seen in public since April 3, sparking rumors that he was either gravely...

Read moreDetails
Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow
Burma

Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow

by The Irrawaddy
February 12, 2024
44.7k

Ethnic armed grouping says it will continue Operation 1027 offensive until goal of ousting the junta is achieved. 

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post

VOA to Broadcast in Burma via Sky Net

UN Urges Aid for Kachin IDPs in Rebel Areas

UN Urges Aid for Kachin IDPs in Rebel Areas

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

4 days ago
1.2k
How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

6 days ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Attacks to Reclaim KIA’s Jade and Rare Earth Strongholds

    Myanmar Junta Attacks to Reclaim KIA’s Jade and Rare Earth Strongholds

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • China is Systematically Dismantling Tibetan Monastic Traditions

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Defusing the Thai-Cambodian Border Row

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Sagaing Protesters Condemn Civilian Govt Toll Charges

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Sagaing Region Braced for Myanmar Junta Airstrikes After Jet Crash

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.